Alaska bear confrontation in the rainforest

This video is just me tellin' a friend what happened. Only two bear photos added. This was the scariest bear encounter I've ever had. It's a four-minute interview right after the near attack. More than twenty years ago I encountered a big ol' grandpa black bear on Prince of Wales Island in Southeast, Alaska. Since then I've lost count of all the great encounters. There was only one negative one out of hundreds... until now.

I had just returned to Alaska after traveling in the "lower 48". It had been a year since I had lived in the treehouse where where I had lived for two years before that. Five bears tried to climb up into that treehouse in two days once and that was fun.

This bear was different. He had a cold, dead stare- emotionless eyes and behavior that I have seen only in bears that have been tormented. Being in close-proximity made my blood run cold and my breathing short. Fear coursed through my body.

There were so many things I knew to do to prevent this, and there are other things I knew to do after the encounter began to go contrary. But I had been traveling in civilization too long and my skills were rusty and my awareness dimmed.

Though it ended without either of us getting hurt, I was very disturbed. I needed to know why this happened.

I was not able to focus on my work until I somehow processed what happened. Then, I had to must the courage to be able to return to that forest and the treehouse afterward. I kept asking myself, "What am I going to do if this happens again?" Or, "How am I going to travel in the pitch dark like I usually do through that thick, dense rainforest jungle?

The answers to these questions remain to be seen.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• David
• Lakota
• interview
• near
• bear
• attack
• shangralaska
• rainforest
• southcentral
• Alaska

[bearnuggets]

what a stupid video, should have a warning to say that I am just going to talk, no cool videos here.

[DavidLakota]

Thanks for the comment. I'll make sure to mention that this is mostly monologue with only two photos added. I posted it because the experience really demanded being able to broadcast in some way. I felt a lot better afterward.

[gardendaisy]

BEAR SPRAY!

[DavidLakota]

Bear spray may work if I never planned on traveling through those woods again. Bears have a good memory and are relatively friendly and docile until you give them a reason to hunt you down and eat you. I can also carry a sawed-off shotgun or .44 magnum and just shoot them were it not for a small thing called karma (what goes around comes around). One sure way to navigate successfully through this world is to treat creature- animals, plants, people and trees like you expect to be treated.

[talltreehill7]

I like to say a prayer before I go on any walk in the woods ... sometimes I forget to ..

Dont have brown bears around here ..but I have been chareged by moose in the rut 2 times.. I've also walked right up within almost arms reach of a moose.

[pepeleyva]

title is misleading, add interview and we ll know you will only talk

[KonstantinKuehn]

no problem david! i really hate it when ppl have to act macho in front of others and always trying to degrade someone else to make themselves feel better about themselves! i also agree with u when u basically say that if u respect and understand the animal u have come in contact with then nothing bad will happen. dont change the world need ppl that believe in the old way of thinking! gotta keep it alive u know!

[krusha666]

look at all you unimaginative twits

where's the video ... this clip is a story, use your imagination

do you remember what your imagination is or are you too used to interfacing with machines that you've forgotten

great story!

[DavidLakota]

Hey Thanks Konstantin,

a little back up now and then is nice.

[KonstantinKuehn]

i totally agree with you david!!

[gardendaisy]

TAKE CARE