Bears and Blueberries

The only time I’ve ever come face-to-face with a bear was when I lived in Alaska.  It was summer, that wonderful short time between June and the middle of August. 

Fruits and veggies grow at a fast rate in Alaska because the growing season is so short and the days are extremely long.  Not far out of Anchorage, toward the Alyeska ski resort, there are hills of wild blueberries in the summers.  The path is marked by what is barely recognizable as a trail wondering off into the woods.  We had to park on the shoulder of the highway and hike about two miles.  Once we climbed the embankment, the whole area was covered with blueberry bushes.  It didn’t take long to fill the buckets we packed up the hill with the juicy, sweet berries. 

Photo by Nature Pics

As we discovered, black bears also loved this treat.  We stumbled upon a mama bear and her two cubs on one such outing.  I wish I had a camera with me, but of course, bears were the last thing on my mind. 

We slowly backtracked with not many berries that day.  She only looked at us and didn’t advance, but we kept our distance.  I wasn’t frightened at all, only awed at the scene before me. 

Every summer we made several trips to this same place and never saw another bear.

Have you ever come this close to wild animals?