A black bear is seen from the Ophir Trail in Washoe Valley in May.
By Kyler Klix kklix@nevadanewsgroup.com
Friday, October 15, 2021
BE BEAR AWARE
Find out more information on what you can do to stay safe in the woods here:
http://www.ndow.org/Nevada_Wildlife/Bear_Logic/It was an early morning last May when I went to hike at Davis Creek in Washoe Valley.
I hiked along the Ophir Trail, and my goal was to reach Price Lake, about 4.9 miles and 2,600 feet higher from where I’d leave my car. This hike goes up in elevation fast. I was moving very quickly and almost 3 miles into the hike, I came across a black bear. It was about 8:40 a.m.
I was shocked. I had hiked this trail several times before and never seen any wildlife besides chipmunks and squirrels.
Now, the area near Davis Creek starts near the edge of the woods. There are trees and manzanita bushes and other vegetation, giving a dense background. If an animal wanted to hide, it’d have no problem.
I had just hiked up a rugged area and was out of breath when I came above the steep trail to a wide opening. Scanning the horizon, the bear stuck out right away. The bear noticed me as soon as I appeared on the horizon. I was the first person on the trail who had hiked that far that day. There was another couple I passed almost a quarter mile before I saw the bear. I think they hiked as far as they wanted to go because they never caught up to me. So the discovery was left for me.
The bear stood there for a moment as we looked at each other. The brown fur looked very light in color, and almost blonde at the edges. It appeared to be alone, so I assumed it was not a mother with cubs lurking nearby.
Truthfully, I panicked a little bit and didn’t think straight. I was a far distance away, so I turned my back and started to walk back on the trail. Then my brain started working again and I realized it was fine.
The bear was a good distance away. Probably more than 100 feet. I realized this and knew I wasn’t in any kind of danger. I thought my hike was over, but I calmly changed my mind and resolved to carry on after waiting a minute for the bear to move on.
This all happened right after I talked with Department of Wildlife Public Information Officer Ashley Sanchez about keeping wildlife in their natural habitat. The knowledge I had of bears in the wild helped calm me and feel confident in my decisions.
So instead of quitting my hike, I stood my ground and kept a safe distance from the bear while it searched for food.
Then the bear moseyed along and it walked away from me. I waited about 10 minutes before continuing. While I waited, I stood there and made some noise by whistling, kicking rocks and singing a little bit.
When I continued, I walked cautiously for a little bit in case it turned back toward the trail, but I did not see it the rest of the day.
For as many times that I have hiked out here, I have never seen a bear in the wild like that. I have seen troublesome bears in South Lake Tahoe that would get into people’s food, but nothing in the wild before.
My bear encounter was a thrilling experience that had my heart racing. I wish I was able to get a better picture, but the memory will last me forever. Who knows the next time I’ll see a bear or if I’ll see one at all. I got lucky being able to see it out and about safely.
Always remember when hiking to respect nature and other hikers. Leave no trace; pack in what you brought in.
Kyler Klix is a designer for Nevada News Group. He also writes about the outdoors and entertainment. Email him at kklix@nevadanewsgroup.com.
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