Mile 471. Bear-don’t-care country.

The entire Appalachian Trail is bear country.    We are guests in their territory - not the other way around.   It’s a common understanding and accepted risk among through-hikers.   

Some areas, though, are more risky to humans than others - like the thirty miles leading to the Tennessee-Virginia state line.   

This is active-bear country; …active-hungry-bear country; …active-hungry-bear-don’t-care country.  

Trail gossip is buzzing with first-hand stories of first-hand encounters with bears who are abnormally unresponsive to the traditional protocol of loud noises and waving hands to make oneself big.   

Even FarOut - the go-to app for trail maps, points of interest, and social updates - is buzzing with stories.   These are entries from Abington shelter just in the past two weeks:

“Bear here at 1:30 today.  Only 40 yards from shelter.  We made noise and threw rocks but it didn’t even faze it.  Finally it wandered off.   Hope it stays gone.”

“Bear yearling about 30 yards from shelter around noon.  Unfazed by our shouts.”

“Bear here at 12pm still hanging around. I would be careful leaving your pack while getting water.”

“Had my opsack/ ursack crushed by bear teeth.   Puncture holes; and everything inside destroyed.  My knot held though!”

“Multiple bears about 40 yards from camp.   A few bags were taken last night.  Would recommend camping just past the shelter and hanging your bags very well.”

Phewwwww.

Rightfully, the Park Service closed the Abington shelter.   Still, I’d rather not stay anywhere near there.   

It is an easy decision to stay in a hiker hostel in the next town of Damascus.   A shuttle driver can drop me off at the road intersection.   I also can slack pack; the lighter load will help me to move faster.

Even with this plan, I jump at the crunch of every squirrel and chipmunk as I move through the forest.   I’m on high alert.  This is not working.

And right at that moment …. My trail family arrives.   Daa-da-da-dahhhhh!!!

Sweet Potato and Cheeks show up on the scene.   As we’re talking, Foxtrot appears.   And then just around the corner, we run into Gadget and Kenny Powers.    My Calvary is here!!   We are a force!

While we didn’t get to snap any cool bear pictures, we did arrive to the state line and then Damascus without event.   Nice and boring.   Just the way I like it.