Grizzly encounters

I couldn8217;t resist that curiosity of beholding something taller than Mount Everest. Native Athabascan Indians call Mount...

I couldn8217;t resist that curiosity of beholding something taller than Mount Everest. Native Athabascan Indians call Mount McKinley 8216;Denali8217; or 8216;The Great One8217;. Geologists claim that at 20,320 feet, this mountain has a vertical rise 6,000 feet more than Mount Everest. Apparently the Himalayan colossus sits atop the Tibetan plateau, which itself is located at a height of 17,000 feet 8212; unlike Denali8217;s lower 2000-foot table.

This massive mountain is located within the Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska, 120 miles south of the city of Fairbanks. Within the park8217;s six million acres are impregnable lands that haven8217;t endured the tread of human feet. Hiking through snowfields and pristine sub-arctic landscape, Man is but another mammal in Nature8217;s infinite playground. This serenity was deceptive 8212; as if on cue, stillness suddenly gave way to a distant growl.

A safe 200 feet ahead of me atop a knoll, a pair of huge grizzlies ravenously chomped away at a soapberry patch. 8220;Make yourself be heard. Just don8217;t surprise the bears!8221; had been the ranger8217;s warning. If threatened by a grizzly, I would simply need to play dead 8212; if confronted by a black bear, I would need to try shouting senselessly. If this didn8217;t work, I would need to fight back. Bolting would be a blunder.

A stir in the bushes or a crackle of twigs didn8217;t really bother me 8212; it could be that lone alpha wolf looking for lunch. Along lush thickets of willow and black spruce, I once spotted an oversized moose with her calf. At 1,500 pounds, a confrontation with a cow defending her young was an incident best avoided. It meant certain casualty to the hapless intruder. I needed to just vanish without startling Mother Moose.

After this wilderness vacation, I returned to a different ecosystem back in the big city. Resuming a routine almost after a month8217;s reprieve, I set out for my usual morning walk. Autumn had shrouded the 5:00 am skies in inky darkness. Not a soul stirred in this early morning quiet. After a few hesitant steps, I turned, jogging quickly back to the safety of my house.

If there is one predator I can8217;t handle, it8217;s a city mugger lurking in this darkness!