Hi Burt, Joe and all:
Thanks for your kind concern about the bear but don't you think bear
attacks are quite rare? I've been exploring the wilderness here for 23
years and this is the first close encounter I have ever had with a
bear. It seems like most creatures just want to quietly slip away.
Bears are most aggressive when a mother bear is protecting her cubs or
when they are protecting fresh meat (like the offal from deer that
hunters leave behind during hunting season.) I am much more fearful of
aggressive or careless human behavior on the freeway. For me the bear
encounter was a thrill of a lifetime!
Joy Stickney-Markgraf
near White Salmon WA
email: joymarkgraf at gorge.net