A Bear of a Day

 

I was surprised to see the number of people hiking in Hubbard Park this morning despite the very high humidity, warm temps, and THE MOSQUITOS!

Visit #1436, Sunday 13 August 23, 8:15-11:15AM, 4.7 miles, 4.2 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the high 70s/low 80s, hazy sun with humidity at >90%.

No; I didn't see a bear today, nor did I receive any reports of sightings.

There were 67 reports of bears entering Connecticut homes in 2022. The previous record was 45 in 2020. In July of this year, a Litchfield homeowner was bitten by a bear when the bear attacked the owner's dog and the homeowner tried to intervene. A woman in Avon was attacked by a bear this year while walking her dog. There were two bear attacks in 2022. There have been 23 bear sightings in Meriden so far this year according to the State Department of Environmental Protection.

Only once, in 2016, did I receive a report of a bear sighting in Hubbard Park.

With the bear population in Connecticut increasing and the fact I often hike remote trails in Hubbard Park, I concluded it was time to take some precautions. The rescue whistle on my backpack might be sufficient to scare off a bear but I rarely remember the whistle is available.

I also read a recent article in the 17 July 23 New Yorker about bears, bear attacks, and defense against bears.

The article is behind a paywall so you may have to check it out at your local library.

So I decided to order bear spray. I'll post a photo when it arrives.

Anyway, on to more mundane stuff.

I woke up at 6AM to the sound of rain. Guessing it was probably a passing shower, I merely went back to sleep for an hour, which accounts for my late, warm, steamy start on Sunday.

The humidity displaced all the oxygen and I was sucking some serious wind hiking up to West Peak. I had to take a number of breaks, and slowed down my pace considerably.

Finding this flashlight was a good excuse to stop, retrieve it, and discover it works!

At West Peak, I continued trimming branches overhanging the parking lot. The oppressive conditions put a damper on my effort. I slowed down and stopped early, progressing a mere fifty feet or so.

When I finished that brief session, I hiked down and over to the Halfway House.

See that hanging strap? It's been hanging from the rafters of the Halfway House for at least 13 years based on my photo library. I had tried a few times to reach it and pull it down without success. BUT TODAY, I realized I had the pole saw with me and victory was now within reach!

All in all it was a productive albeit sweaty, exhausting, mosquito bitten, but bear-free day.