The implications of ignoring the one about bears are obviously a lot more serious! I’ll share an amusing story in this post, but it is important to follow good safety guidelines when it comes to bears. For some useful tips about bear safety, click here.
Almost anyone who has camped for very long has heard or experienced “bear stories.” Some have become legends of sorts, and often serve as good examples of what not to do in the Great Outdoors. Whether they are true or simply woodsy versions of urban legends is sometimes hard to determine.
Bryan Kramer, a reader of this blog from Florida, sent an e-mail with the background of one of those legendary tales.
Bryan was camping with a friend in the Lower Pines Campground in Yosemite in the 1970’s. About 3 am they were awakened by “pots banging and lots of yelling. Bear in the campground I think.”
The pair climbed out of their tent and noticed a lot of commotion about 3 or 4 campsites away. They headed down to see what was going on and found that the bear was long gone.
As Bryan tells the story, “It turns out that this woman and her boy friend had arrived late. They were new to camping and poorly prepared. They were sleeping on the ground in sleeping bags, and before going to sleep the woman had slathered apricot face cream all over her face.”
“She awoke to find a medium-sized black bear licking the cream off her face. Loud screaming ensues and the bear runs off. When we got there the woman was still hysterical. She dragged her friend to the car and they drove off, leaving behind the little camping gear they had.”
Alas, another promising camping career, nipped in the bud!
This tale does confirm the wisdom of following advice about eliminating food odors and similar attractants around your sleeping area in camp.
Bryan notes that the he took his family to Yosemite a few years ago-thirty years after this incident. During a campfire program, a ranger asked if anyone had any bear stories, and Bryan told the story of the Great Apricot Face Cream Caper. The ranger said they still talked about it, but thought it was just a park legend.
And now… you know the rest of the story. Thanks, Bryan!
What about you? Have you witnessed any “sure wish we hadn’t done that” bear stories?
Jim Burnett
Life – it’s an adventure…. Find something to smile about today!
Jim’s book, Hey Ranger! True Tales of Humor and Misadventure from America’s National Parks, is available from Trailer Life Directory.com