Weekend Visit to the Smoky Mountains (451 hits)
Category: Science & EnvironmentalRating: 1.66 on 8 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Myself (View user info) at 2006-05-03 11:35:26 EDT
Last weekend I went to the Smoky Mountains with my husband, mostly to avoid a rainy day at home. We decided to hike the Laurel Falls trail, because we got a pretty late start, and didn't really get up to the park until 4pm, with the crazy traffic in Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg.
The trail, up until the falls is extremely easy, only 1.3 miles long and roughly paved. It is therefore rather busy with people up until that point, but continuing beyond the falls, there are no people at all. Of course, we were interested in the old growth forest further up the trail, and after a little pause to appreciate the falls, and the cool air it provides, we continued further on up the trail.
We soon reached a region filled with Giant tulip poplars, maples, and white oak. Being the complete dorks that we are, we stopped to identify a tree we weren't familiar with using our handy dandy Audubon book. We're standing there, facing back down the trail, examining the strange flowers of the tree, when behind us we here a loud scraping racket. We both turn, and there 10 yards from us is a big black bear climbing a tulip poplar. The tree is probably about 100ft tall, and the diameter is over 5ft easily. Despite the fact there are no branches on the lower 80ft or so of the tree, the bear just goes right up. He climbed by letting go with both arms, and flinging his body upwards, rather than hand over hand (or paw over paw) the way most things climb.
He climbs up to the first branch, and takes a moment to look around, and directly at us, before climbing further up into the tree, then down into the hollow top portion of the tree. It is obvious this is his home, as the stripped bark from his climbing path, as well as a dark stream of piss and shit descending from a hole in the side of the tree will attest to. Apparently, he backs himself up to the hole, so as to keep his home neat.
Of course, we forgot the camera at home. Of course.
Then we saw a coyote on our way out of the park, so for me, it was a great day. I grew up in the country and never saw a coyote, or even a skunk, and here were 2 large predators in about a 1 hour span.
So, what's my point? Well, if anyone's interested, there's a black bear living in a giant tulip tree on the right side of the laurel falls trail, about 2 miles out. We saw our bear at about 5:30 which seemed a little early for him to be going to bed, but he might have had a rough day.
Seeing him thrilled me in a way I did not expect, and I'd like to share that thrill, with anyone who's interested.
User Reviews
Submitted by BrownEyedGirrl (user info) at 2006-05-04 15:45:14 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
KEWL!!!
Submitted by The_taste_of_Monkeys (user info) at 2006-05-03 15:50:17 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Bears are weet AND bosh!
Submitted by no_one (user info) at 2006-05-03 11:56:30 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
We we're kinda hanging around that area for a while, my guess is he waited until we weren't looking to make for the tree. Black bears aren't especially aggressive. What freaked me out, was we didn't here him AT ALL until he started climbind the tree.
Coyotes are in the area where I live too, but somehow, I've just never run into one before.
Submitted by Bigmike (user info) at 2006-05-03 11:52:44 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Ten yards is awfully close. I'm surprised he didn't try to chase you away from his tree.
Ther are coyotes all over the place where I live.
Submitted by sicosemen (user info) at 2006-05-03 11:51:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
That's a realistic looking teddy bear, where'd you get it?
Submitted by wookie (user info) at 2006-05-03 11:45:21 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by professorfuckface (user info) at 2006-05-03 11:43:37 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
eric rice
Submitted by loki (user info) at 2006-05-03 11:43:14 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I think the wildlife out there know when you don't have a camera and insist on taunting you by posing for the perfect picture.