Saturday, July 12, 2008

The other day....I met a...

To see more Camera Critters this Sunday visit Misty Dawn.
~
Do you like to sing?
Have you ever sung around the campfire?
I really like to sing around the campfire
and I even let my husband sing then.
There are a few great camp songs,
and one of my favorites goes like this:
~
The other day,
I met a bear,
A great big bear,
Oh way out there.
Well, he wasn't a great big bear. In fact he was kind of a small bear.
~
He looked at me,
I looked at him,
He sized up me,
I sized up him.
~
He said to me,
"Why don't you run?
I see you ain't,
Got any gun."
~
Well, guns aren't permitted in the national park, silly.
You should know that, Bear.
~
And so I ran,
Away from there,
But right behind me
Came that bear.
~
Running is not the best plan if you see a bear.

Stay calm. Make some noise. And back away.
~
as soon as you get your picture!
~
This is the first bear we personally have seen at Mt. Rainier National Park since 1974, when we saw one grazing in the Paradise Picnic Area. We have come so close in the last few years when we have been spending many days there as volunteers. Once it was a matter of being there a day too late, another time of working for some time on a project in an area and moving on an hour too early, and another time it was choosing one trail back to headquarters instead of another.
~
The bears at Mt. Rainier are Black Bears. Well, from a look at my bear that may be obvious. But Black Bear is the species rather than the color. Black Bears range in color from cinnamon brown to black. The one we saw years ago was light brown. Black Bears are quite a bit smaller than Grizzlies or the Kodiak Bears of Alaska.
~
Here is the rest of the song,
which repeats each line as an echo,
then repeats the verse.
~
Ahead of me,
There was a tree,
A great big tree,
Oh glory be!
~
The lowest branch,
Was ten feet up,
So I thought I'd jump,
And trust my luck.
~
And so I jumped,
Into the air,
But I missed that branch,
A way up there.
~
Now don't you fret,
And don't you frown,
I Caught that branch,
On the way back down!
~
That's all there is,
There aint no more,
Unless I see,
That bear once more.
~
Some versions of the song have the bear "in tennis shoes--a brand new pair."

19 comments:

Dina said...

That must be awesome to see a wild bear that close! Keep singing!

Kyanite said...

Am so impressed!
I've seen Black Bears whilst driving across Vancouver Island, & even encountered one whilst walking around Whistler, BC in the summer, but sadly no photo's!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful - just don't do it with a grizzly.

Roan said...

What a fine looking bear, and a funny little song to match. Very enjoyable post.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Katney: What a fun post, enjoyed your song and photos of the bear.

Snippet said...

Ooh! So cool! I'm a huge wildlife fan, and the fact that you didn't freak out but instead took pictures before quietly and calmly leaving is great!

Fantastic pictures, even if I did think the first one was a dog. Heh. Not your fault: It's the shagginess of the bear that made me think it.

Anonymous said...

Very cool photos - I'm glad you couldn't here me singing along (or could you???)

My critter can be found here today. =)

EG CameraGirl said...

We have a black bear that lives north of here but I have never seen it personally. I've only heard about it. Apparently it travels the railway tracks in search of berries and other grub.

Love the photos!

Anonymous said...

When I worked up there in 1989, on the morning drive up to Paradise we'd often see one bear in the same area crossing the road. It was always a nice way to start a morning :-)

Jane Hards Photography said...

Face to face with a bear in the wild, I envy you. Love the song, new to me, but fits perfectly.

Gretchen said...

I've always heard it with the tennis shoes. :)

Great shots!

Rosebud said...

Hey, I did a bear too. Problem is... you can't really tell that mine is a bear, he's so far away. Cool pictures. I was so thrilled to see "mine".

Cath said...

What a wonderful post! Great shots and you are one very brave lady... or you have a fantastic telephoto lens! lol

He looks gorgeous and cuddly, but I bet he could do some damage, even at that young age.
I loved the song too. A truly uplifting post. Made me smile and I bet you are over the moon - first bear you spotted since '74? What a privilege to see them in their natural habitat.

Texas Travelers said...

Great poem/song. We liked it a lot.

Troy and Martha

Jo's-D-Eyes said...

Wow Katney,
thats an impressive bear I would not st calm but run way fast!!!

See my wild cows and goats on my CC

Greetings from JoAnn/Holland

Paulie said...

I sang that song at Girl Scout camp -- as a child and again as a leader. We never saw any bears tho -- thank goodness!

Barbara said...

Wonderful to see a bear so close.

Misty DawnS said...

This is a truly fantastic post! It is fun and amazing. Thank you SO much for sharing this with us!

i beati said...

excellent bigger and bigger - I enjoyed the travel above too..sk