Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Big Bear on Tuesday Morning

I received a flyer in my mailbox yesterday morning that read:

"There was a VERY LARGE bear spotted walking up El Prieto Road early (around 3 a.m.), Tuesday morning, October 9, 2007. He enjoyed snacking on trash waiting to be picked-up and woke up the dogs at the top of the street. Seriously though, he was BIG. Not one to mess with. When we hear the dogs barking this week he may be around again so please be careful when investigating what's out and about at night or when you are hiking on the local trails."

So, this morning at about 1:30 a.m., the dog across the street from me started howling and barking. I looked out the window and saw her staring up the street. Then I see a very tall, slender man (I think) running down El Prieto Road looking behind him. Running behind him are two dogs (I think two - it was dark). Nothing else was chasing them that I could tell.

I wondered if he was hiking the loop around The Meadows. If you know who is, please be sure to tell him that a bear has been spotted.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

While a bear is more exciting, I'd be more worried about being chased by loose dogs at 1 in the morning. Loose dogs have been part of some scary interactions in my time in the Meadows; I've never seen a bear chase anyone-- and I've seen my share of bears.

It's good to be cautious about bears, but personally I'd be less worried if everyone kept their dogs under control and at home. I'm not talking about responsible dog owners, here-- you folks are great.

Shannon

MaryEllen said...

This bear has been around for quite a while - I used to see it fairly often in the very early morning, rambling around in the area around the top of the switchback. It's a very large bear for this area. There is another 'local' bear as well, a smaller one, that is usually around in the hills behind Risinghill.

Black bears are very non-aggressive creatures and if you don't bother him, he won't bother you. Just stay out of his way, and try to keep your trash inside and/or covered.