The grizzly's terrain is the
Brooks Range, but in the foothills, you'll find the black bear. Seldom do these
two species cross borderlines. When they do nothing good comes from their
meeting.
I hiked the Brooks
Range during the spring and saw many a footprint. I was even foolish enough to
follow them. And then in one night (from the safety of a truck) I saw nine
grizzly's, my attitude changed dramatically. Respect for these massive
creatures was born.
Murder & Obsession
Excerpt:
With Bushnell Elite Binoculars, Steven searched the valley below for any sign of the trackers. The very weather features he’d just been thankful for now obscured his vision, but he concentrated on color and movement. He spotted a grizzly. The bear, a good seven hundred pounds and at least seven feet tall, had Steven worried, especially when the animal reared on its hind legs and sniffed the air.
Somehow, the grizzly had locked on Steven’s scent instead of the dead caribou’s or the beast would have been heading south not north, as Steven was.
Steven had no other option but to move, and move quickly. He hit the trail, but slowed by the heavy snow, his muscles screamed.
. . . after a rest break he repacked supplies for the rest of the journey but stopped when a familiar sound caught his attention. The deep growls of a bear reached him from the path he meant to take. He turned slowly. Instead of the grizzly, a healthy young black bear from the other side of the river lumbered toward him.
*****Somehow, the grizzly had locked on Steven’s scent instead of the dead caribou’s or the beast would have been heading south not north, as Steven was.
Steven had no other option but to move, and move quickly. He hit the trail, but slowed by the heavy snow, his muscles screamed.
. . . after a rest break he repacked supplies for the rest of the journey but stopped when a familiar sound caught his attention. The deep growls of a bear reached him from the path he meant to take. He turned slowly. Instead of the grizzly, a healthy young black bear from the other side of the river lumbered toward him.
*****
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And try for a free copy of
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Remember every comment during the A to Z will be an entry to win a
paperback copy of the trilogy!
(signed if I can send by mail)
Read an excerpt of my story Ever-Ton HERE!
Al Gore won the Presidency in 2000.
The earth is dying and people are
trying to escape, well, in my story they are!
58 comments:
9 grizzly bears? Yikes! I also have a tendency to hike too far. I came across what appeared to be a mountain lion's den in the woods one time...never went that direction again!
One grizzly is terrifying, but nine is enough to send me into cardiac arrest. I can't even imagine coming to a crossroad so to speak with a grizzly and a black bear. What do you do? Which way do you run? And what about Elizabeth, the commenter just above me, who stumbled upon what appeared to be a mountain lion's den while hiking? Between the two of you, I don't think I'll ever go for a real hike. I thought we had it dangerous down here in Louisiana, trekking through the bayous and swamps. All we have are poisonous snakes and gators.
The book excerpt seems interesting! I'll be keeping an eye out for your posts. Good going, best wishes for the rest of the challenge!
Cheers,
Deepa
Deepa’s Kaleidoscope
I am very glad I have never met a bear - grizzly or black - I am too easy prey! :)
Tasha
Tasha's Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)
I would be scared to death, such powerful beasts.
He's in trouble!
I imagine they are much larger in real life.
They are humungous animals and 9 would be enough to scare anyone to death. Have seen black bears at our local safari park and they are big enough, especially when they lean on your car. I cannot imagine meeting a grizzly at all. D'you know what to do when a bear charges you? Pay it. Sorry, couldn't resist.
I wouldn't want to meet any bear! And oh, this part in the book is awesome! :)
Hi, Elizabeth, how scary. Until I'd actually seen the beast, I wasn't frightened. But after seeing a real monster I - he was huge and he chased our vehicle. Amazing! The babies are so cute though. Momma, she's mean. LOL
Hi, Melissa, it is scary, especially if you're not in a truck. I was very lucky. In my story, though, Steven isn't so lucky!
Thanks, Deepa, appreciate it!
LOL, Hi Natasha, we all are!
What is he going to do? Another well penned excerpt. Thanks Yolanda.
Rosa
@RosaT_Author
Rosa Temple writes...
Hi, Sally, I should have been more frightened, but until I saw them it just didn't register. LOL
Hi, Alex, yes he is, and yes they are. LOL
Hi, Jo, LOL love the joke. The were all just coming out for a spring dinner!
Thanks, Christine, appreciate that!
Hi, Rosa, he has no choice, he has to fight! Thanks! :)
Seeing that men would make me glad I was far away in a truck. They are massive
Wow I can't imagine seeing one grizzly let alone nine. I think I am happy to just see them on film or in pictures.
O Very suspenseful! What a nightmare to be trapped between two enemy bears. I'm intrigued!
@ScarlettBraden from
Frankly Scarlett
I've never seen a grizzly in person. The only bear I've encountered was a brown one in Yosemite. That was enough. They look adorable, but their claws are anything but. Great scene. I'm pulling for him to make his way through the snow to safety.
My you are courageous. If I had seen footprints, I would have turned around. Thanks for answering my questions and I enjoyed the snippet very much.
Visiting from the A to Z Blog Challenge.
Shalom,
Patricia @ EverythingMustChange
I love the look of some bears, especially the panda bear. Very cute. But dangerous I'm sure...
Grizzly bears look scary.
Respect! Yes. Cuddly creatures they are not.
oh my - you saw nine? That's hardcore...
oh my - you saw nine? That's hardcore...
Grizzlies are fierce animals. They should be respected. I hope I never come across one. I wouldn't know what to do. I think they say to stand still and not look at it. There are black bears here in Florida, though I've never seen one in person. They seem nicer but still can be dangerous.
J here, stopping by from the #atozchallenge - where I am part of Arlee Bird's A to Z Ambassador Team.
How has the first week of the challenge been for you so far? Are you meeting your goals of posting and hopping to other blogs?
My blog has a giveaway with bonus a to z challenges to encourage people to visit more stops.
http://jlennidornerblog.what-are-they.com
Cool post! Love it. I joined your Thunderclap.
Saying hello from the #atozchallenge. I seen one once he was in a cage and dirty, flies, and he just wasn't happy, and he didn't smell all that good either. The animal was just unkept. I know they're big animals, but you would think zoos would take better care of them. Needless to say I moved on.
NINE????? YIKES!
Hi, Ivy! Yep, 9!
I hate to see them caged, so wrong. I was in their territory, I needed to make sure I was safe. Huge, massive and very scary. LOL Thanks for dropping by Marie! Will visit you too!
Hi J, I am too, so glad to have you stop by. I'll do the same!
Don't look them in the eye and don't run, fall down and play dead. Gosh, I'm glad I've never had to do that. The desire to run would have been too strong. LOL
It was amazing, truly.
That's the problem, they look cuddly! That's why we all had one as a child. But they aren't cuddly in real life. :)
Exactly!
Hi, Pat, so happy you want to read my books! Not courageous, silly!
Cousin of the grizzly, their claws are amazing and sharp!
It's a horrible place to be. He has to face them both!
I was lucky! I had the most amazing experiences in Alaska!
One of them, the biggest one actually chases the truck. He could move!
This sounds like it's going to be a fascinating story. 9 grizzly bears is a lot. Were they all together? Well, even singly they must have been quite impressive.
Never saw one outside the cage I can imagine the feeling :)
My parents live in the mountains of NC and regularly have a black bear at their bird feeders.
My parents live in the mountains of NC and regularly have a black bear at their bird feeders.
such a huge beast! Nine of them together would be frightening. I've only ever seen bears at the zoo. Too citified. :) I hope Steven makes it out, despite having two bears on his trail.
Would not like to meet one of these bears close up.
And then in one night (from the safety of a truck)
I saw nine grizzly's, my attitude changed dramatically.
My Yolanda! You sure take it cool moving around their territory. Yes, must give them due respect!
Hank
Nine of them together! Nope, I wouldn't like that even from a truck, I hope they were far away from you. Are they pack animals? I somehow have the impression they are loners..
Don't tell me Stephen gets mauled by a grizzly/black bear on top of his other troubles!
Nila.
Madly-in-Verse
They were definitely in different locations. Several were mothers with cubs. One mother had two cubs. But the largest bear was in Atigun Pass. He was a monster that chased our truck. Massive and the reason I really learned not to go looking for them! I didn't stop hiking but I became more cautious.
I'd never seen a bear at all until then, it's the reason I wasn't frightened. It's hard to be afraid of something you've never seen.
LOL, I have squirrels on a regular basis, but bears, oh dear! :)
He barely does, nine surprised me too! I hadn't seen a one on any of my hikes. :)
Me neither! :)
I was in awe during my entire time there. It was fabulous, I was very, very lucky!
At one point to close for comfort, and we were doing 30 mph - he did his best to catch us!
Steven has quite a journey!
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