So, this next round of photos is meant to highlight just what a total space cadet geek I really am. After watching Grizzly Man and reading a book about the Grizzly Man, my normal fear of bears turned into a completely irrational phobia! So, we went on this little hike near Exit Glacier in Seward. Lysandra and Andrea told me that there hasn't been a day without a bear sighting there in like...forever (or something like that). They might have said something totally different, but I heard "BEAR. EVERY DAY. EXIT GLACIER." Run for your lives!
So, we get ready for our hike and I turned into a total geeked out freak space cadet. Geek: I had two cameras--one digital attached to my belt, the other a giant telefoto lens film camera dragging around my neck.
Freak: had the bear spray attached to my belt and my bear bell jingling from my backpack. Space Cadet: After all this preparation, somehow I forgot to put on my tennis shoes. I was wearing brown leather shoes. John kept calling them my "sunday shoes"...which. NO. Sunday shoes are not brown clunky leather blobby things. Except, possibly in Alaska where it is actually socially acceptable to wear sweatpants to church.As we were meandering past the visitor's center we came across a park ranger who heard me jingling and said, "did you know bear bells actually attract bears?"
Nice. Really nice. Bear bell went into silencer mode in my pocket.
We went on this short totally short little hike where sunday shoes were no problem and there were no bears. I did see someone's cheese and bread sandwich thrown down on the side of the trail which made me almost hyperventilate. BEAR BAIT! BEAR BAIT! What the hell was that person thinking?
I decided to take a picture of my shoes as I walked over the glacial outwash plain. No shoes in the picture. See? I am definitely and decidedly NOT ALL WITH IT. But you can see some nice glacial deposits!
We got really close to the glacier and took it all in. It was beautiful but still way too windy!
Then, we walked back to the car and I realized my digital camera was NOT THERE. It fell off my belt!!! John went and re-did the whole hike and looked everywhere. As I waited in the car I realized he didn't have the bear spray with him. Then, when it took him forever to get back I started to get really worried. This phobia needs to vanish. ASAP. He came back and--no camera. I was trying not to cry as I mourned the passing of the pictures. I was saying "I don't even CARE about the camera. I just want the pictures!" I left my name and number with the rangers and we went off to dinner where I tried to act all happy and cheerful even though I was pissed at myself and having a lovely internal dialogue along these lines: "I am so STUPID. Why did I put that camera on my belt? That was SO dumb. DUMB!"
A few hours later, a ranger called and said someone had turned in my camera. Phew. I wish I could buy that person a beer! (Not a bear, a beer.) I do not, as of yet, have a phobia of beers.
8 comments:
You did better than I did on the Exit Glacier hike. Joel and I went there at one point, and I never made it past the chalk board that people wrote sitings on. We were the first people on the trail that day and the last comment on the chalk board from the day before read, "Saw a black bear. Even though black bears rarely attack, this one was aggresively following us." I was TERRIFIED of bears. You are not alone in your phobia.
Holy Crap! I'm glad I didn't know that before we went! The ranger did tell us people had seen black bears and A GRIZZLY BEAR that day. Lovely lovely lovely.
OMG - you are a freak! I could feel you hyperventilating as you sat there at your computer and re-lived the day. You are hilarious. Hopefully Becca doesn't inherit this side of you. :)
And the shoes . . .you are so right about Sunday shoes in Alaska. Wish I could have been there to make fun of you, though. I would have loved that. (aren't I nice?)
I would like to know what brown, clunky blobby things look like. I appreciate Sunday dress in Alaska, because I do love my jeans!
you can see the clunky brown shoes in the first picture by the Nat Park sign...chunky slip-on loaferish things with a thick sole.
I believe I have worn similar shoes to church, though Jamie does give me a hard time about my shoe style.
I had a dream we were being stalked by bears last night....Thanks Katie!
Good for you that you didn't see any bears, we saw four on that hike.
Post a Comment