Bear Encounter

I had hoped to get this posted a lot sooner but then I never got around to it. So- Like 4 nights ago I was sitting in Andrea and Carissa's room bored with like 7 other people. They came up with the idea to walk down the boy scout trail behind employee housing to go to the creek and catch fish with our hands. Here was the group

Bethanie

Mitch

Sadie

Brantly

Me

Derek

Mike

Chris

Carissa

Valadimer

and some other foreigner

We got to the bride and they spotted a porcupine. It ran off into the bushes so being the bright souls they are they started throwing rocks to see if it'd come out to take a picture. Andrea and I watched from the bridge not wanting to get needles from the creatures shot @ us. After awhile we got sick of standing waiting for this porcupine to come out of hiding so Andrea and I walked down the hill to the Chulitna river. We spotted hundreds of fish trying to swim up the creek just off the Chulitna and called the others over to see. Chris Mills took of his shoes, rolled up his pants and climbed into the freezing cold water trying to catch a fish with his hands. Secretly I was hoping he'd catch one so that I could hold it and take a picture. haha but he never did. At least not in time. Derek and Mike crossed the creek and were attempting the same maneuver on the other side. We were only there a few minutes until Valadimer with his bear spray turned around and started yelling Bear! As I jumped off the rock I was standing on I glanced over and saw a very unhappy momma black bear with 2 cubs. As she hurried her cubs up the tree, the 12 of us briskly made our way from the creek up the hill towards the bridge. Trying to not move too quickly or act too scared. The bear came running down the hill as Derek and Mike were trying to cross the creek...so they really just got super wet from having to jump across. we got up top safely, and began snapping pictures of the cute cubs and the bear swimming to catch fish. Unfortunatly my camara was a little blurry but I did get a really nice video of it. After sometime the girls were ready to go, the close encounter was just too close for us, but the boys wanted more pictures and continued to go back down the hill to get some. (Probably not smart) The bear, now irriatated, then comes from swimming in the creek back up the hill and STOPS at the end of the bridge where Sadie and I had been standing. She looked at us then ran back down into the tree's with her cubs. Honestly she was probably more terrified of us than we were of her, but she did have opportunities to get us. The closest she came was about 10-15' from us. AHHHH so scary. But now it's over, and I have a good alaskan bear tail. The only thing that would have made it better is to see her hunting something down like a moose or a fox. haha. Well I'm going to post pictures of this little adventure as soon as i'm on my computer and not the one in Talkeetna's office. [sorry grandma it took so long to post this. I know i told you days ago it'd be on there!] I'm greatful to be alive.