Nature's Gentle Reminder

Being put in your place is not pleasant! Let�s forget about all the ways of being put down in society. Let�s forget about the ego bashing that people inflict on each other. No, let�s keep this simple � very simple. All we need is the time to go camping. Not just any place will serve our needs. For a truly humbling experience, we need to go camping where the first sign we see at the trailhead says "Grizzly Bear Habitat".

Society really gives us a false impression of our importance. We have our jobs to do. We have our schedules. We are busy, constantly from one task to another. People have titles or roles that make them seem more important. But, take a trip to the mountains with just a couple of friends or better yet, go by yourself, and this importance stays behind. It is replaced by another importance. You start to realize your place. This reality is not at all comforting. You start to realize that perhaps the only importance you have is to be food for something else.

We had left the Tetons late, and felt lucky to find a place to camp on the Continental Divide just a few miles to the east. It looked to be a stormy night. The clouds were low when we were setting up camp. Despite the threatening storm, the air was still. Nobody was camped within several miles of us. It was very quiet. And before we were ready, it was very dark.

A few nights earlier, we were camped on the eastern side of the Wind River Mountains. In the morning, we found bear footprints and fresh scat around our tent. It was probably a small black bear. Now, however, we were in Grizzly Bear habitat. I know the statistics. More people are killed every year by black bears than by grizzlies. Perhaps that is because fewer people are camping in grizzly bear habitat! Yes, I know grizzly bears will avoid people. They are not the man-eaters of western lore. But this logic has very little meaning when on a very quiet night you hear noises outside your tent. When you hear a fallen branch break, logic says it is a small animal or perhaps a deer. This logic is really just a disguise. It is a mask, hiding from you what you fear. The noise is really a hungry grizzly bear looking for an easy dinner. And what could be easier than a defenseless camper wrapped in a sleeping bag?

And so I spent the night motionless, trying to be invisible. With every noise outside the tent, I would hold my breath. I would strain to hear something, yet I didn't want to hear anything. Yes, my imagination was running wild. But I was in the wilds and I was very much aware of my place. I was not at the top of the food chain!

Is this the way animals exist living in constant fear of other animals? I have heard the teeth chattering on a frightened marmot. I have seen the fear in the eyes of a small animal. I have felt the pounding heart of a rabbit I held. Is this what life is for these animals, a life of fear? The moment I heard the branch break, I was reunited with nature. I was afraid, but I'll confess, I actually enjoyed it. The fear gave me prospective and it made me alive.

As a side note, in the morning we found numerous tracks of large elk around our tent. Their footprints were far apart; the elk were moving fast in one direction. I know why. They were running from the grizzlies!