I Encountered a Bear in the Forest

Article by Leena Korhonen

It was supposed to be just a regular weekend trip to my local hills, but in an instant, it turned into the most unforgettable nature experience of my life so far.

I had been feeling extremely tired all week, wondering if I might be coming down with something. Maybe it would be wiser to just rest at home this weekend? But on Saturday morning, I felt a strong urge to go on a small trip and sleep outside. There’s nothing like being alone, surrounded by the sounds of nature, to rejuvenate oneself. My hike took me across hills and fells to a small stream, where I found a pleasantly quiet spot to pitch my tent. In the evening, I read an article about bears from a magazine I had brought along and thought about how lucky the writer was to have seen bears in their natural habitat with their own eyes. Well, I had once seen a mother bear with her cubs from a car. Although it was an incredible sight, something was missing—or perhaps there was something too much: the car. With these thoughts about bears in my mind and listening to the gentle babbling of the stream, I drifted off into a sweet sleep so early that it wasn’t even five in the morning when I woke up feeling completely rested.

The morning dawned with a thick fog blanketing the still surroundings. The air was so moist that all my gear felt a bit damp. As I sipped my morning coffee, I was glad I had decided to come. I felt healthy, and it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day! While eating my porridge, I studied the map and planned my route back. I wanted to avoid trails and other people. Packing up camp and taking care of my morning routine was quick on my own, so I set off for home before the break of dawn. I stopped frequently to admire the enchanting scenery and all the small details touched by the first hints of autumn magic.

As the morning progressed, the fog slowly gave way to the sun. The rays of sunlight filtering through the trees, combined with the receding mist, made this modest northern forest look like a mystical fairytale setting. It was still perfectly calm and quiet. I wandered leisurely up the hillside, occasionally picking blueberries to eat and turning to look back down into the valley. Suddenly, I noticed a dark shape approaching from the corner of my eye, and before I could think of anything, it was right in front of me. A beautiful, adult bear galloped past me at a very close distance, perhaps 40 meters away. It didn’t even glance at me; it was heading north with the same determination as I was heading west. The moment felt completely surreal. There it was, right in front of my eyes: a bear. This was the moment I had been waiting for, the moment I had dreamed of. I almost wanted to pinch myself: is this really happening? I paused for a moment and tried to fumble for the record button on my phone’s video camera, but couldn’t manage it. The moment came and went so quickly, and I wanted to keep my eyes on the bear, not on my phone. Although I didn’t capture it on camera, the memory of that moment will surely stay with me forever. It was a truly impressive encounter. A dream come true.

After the bear had disappeared from sight, I glanced back in the direction it had come from, wondering if any cubs were following. But there was no sign of them, so I continued on my way, feeling both excited and bewildered. Without any cell signal, I talked to my phone’s camera as I walked, wanting to make some noise and needing to process the situation immediately. I had always imagined a possible (though unlikely) encounter would either be me spotting a barely recognizable bear figure on a distant hillside or hearing a crash in the forest and spotting a bear further away. This encounter was something entirely different and exceeded even my wildest dreams. How was it even possible that we got so close without either of us noticing the other? The weather was completely calm, and we were both silent solo travelers; that’s probably the secret. Perhaps the bear had been resting nearby or was so engrossed in eating berries that it noticed me at the last moment and got startled. It’s also amazing how silently such a large animal can move!

I was a bit surprised that I didn’t feel scared at all. Of course, my heart rate went up, and there was a moment of tension, but I wasn’t frightened because there was nothing threatening about the situation. I would have been scared if the bear had stopped and shown signs of aggression, but it had no such intentions. Our paths just happened to cross, but we were not threats to each other. At that moment, I mostly felt a sort of bewildered disbelief and a profound sense of happiness.

Encountering the bear was such a moving experience for me that I will probably be processing it for a long time. It feels like I’ve gained something invaluable. Imagine getting so much without taking anything from anyone! Thank you, bear, for showing yourself to me.

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