I suspect that many of you heard about the black bear that rambled into Ephraim City a couple of weeks ago.  I’ve heard varying reports as to where the bear was seen.  I’ve read a few things online and seen a couple of videos.

   I guess he, a young male bear,  was near the LDS church on the west side of town.  If that’s true, I’m suspecting those young,  black name-badge missionaries who you see around  may have something to do with the bear venturing into town.  Those missionaries can be persuasive in their attempts to get people (and perhaps animals) to attend church.

   Last October, during the BYU vs. U of U football game, Fox Sports announcer Jason Benetti exclaimed on national TV, “There’s a bear on the loose in Provo!”  That was when true freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier heroically broke tackles and dragged defenders on a 22 yard touchdown run.  That “bear on the loose” statement has already been made semi-famous by Cougar fans.

   Seeing the “bear on the loose” on video in Ephraim and the speed and power it was running with, I don’t think an 11 man NFL defense could have caught and stopped him.

   The bear was also near Domino’s Pizza at one point.  I’m thinking that a “If you’re hungry as a bear, We’ve got your pizza” sales campaign coupon should be sent out in the newspaper.

   By the way, the recent bear escapade in Ephraim ended with wildlife officials tranquilizing the bear and relocating him to “a more suitable habitat.”  I guess they know what’s best.   But I wouldn’t mind it if someone tranquilized me  and took me to the suitable habitat of an air conditioned church and gave me Domino’s Pizza.

   Bear sightings and stories pop up semi-occasionally in Sanpete.  One of my favorites happened just a few years ago involving people I know personally.  The story involves a grown-up, youngish man who is originally from Sanpete, but now lives “up north.”  He took an out of county, grown-up, youngish woman up Manti Canyon to see the sights.

   As they were driving, she asked about animals in the area.  In particular, she asked if there were any bears on the mountain.

   The response was that there may be a few bears around, but we never worry about them.  In fact, he said, as he totally discounted the need for concern, “I’ve never seen a bear up here in my whole life.”

   They then drove around a bend in the road. Can you  guess what they saw smack dab in front of them on the road?  Yep, one of those “never ever seen” bears.

   Though we didn’t see a bear in Maple Canyon during the pandemic, we thought a lot about them.  We were up there celebrating our wedding anniversary on an outing in April of 2020.  We got some take-out food (the only kind available at the time) and went for a  picnic and hike.

  As I recall, there were only three other vehicles in the canyon.  They were all parked at the mouth of Box Canyon.  Further up, it was just us, the anniversary couple,  and our chaperone, Archer, the wonder Sheltie.

   (Archie had given us an anniversary card with a nice sentiment.  It read, “Roses are Gray, Violets are Gray, Everything is Gray, I’m a Dog!”)

      Anyway, on that visit to Maple Canyon there was ‘bear information” signage around the Forest Service campgrounds and picnic areas.  I know those signs are important.  But it gives me “bear on the brain” syndrome. (As it’s meant to do, I suppose)

   Oftentimes, those signs go up when there’s a “nuisance bear” in the area.  I consider most bears nuisances unless I’m seeing them in a zoo or in Yellowstone National Park.

   Call me a sissy or a chicken.  Or call me a wise, prudent, old man.  But when I’m unprotected, and see bears, cougars, or rappelling equipment, I think about dying before my time.

   When I see a “watch for bears” sign out in the forest, I spend the rest of my hiking time being aware of and watching for rocks and branches that I could quickly pick up to use as defense.  (The equivalent of bringing a knife to a gun fight)

  As I understand it, black bears are the only variety of bear left in Utah.  So if you’re attacked by a bear here, playing dead is not the recommended response.  Playing dead is the card you play when dealing with grizzlies.

   Oh, and by the way, grizzly bears and brown bears are essentially the same bear, depending on where they live.  I know.  It’s confusing.

   Interestingly, black bears are not always black. (The one in Ephraim recently was black though)  Oddly enough, black bears can range from white (really? – yes, known as “Spirit Bears” – but they’re not in Utah, but in British Columbia, Canada)  to every shade of brown, including “cinnamon.”  (I’ve always loved cinnamon bears, even though they do get stuck in my teeth.)

   In case you’re interested, the last known grizzly bear in Utah was killed in 1923.  There is a rock cairn grave with a headstone, in Northern Utah in the Cache National Forest.  It was built by the Boy Scouts for that bear .  You may have heard of “Old Ephraim.”

   He plagued sheepherders for years.  When Frank Clark shot him, Old Ephraim stood 10 feet tall and weighed 1100 pounds.  The bear’s skull was sent off to The Smithsonian.  I gather it has been preserved there.

  I guess wherever you hike,  you have to be aware of something.  If it’s not bears, it’s rattlesnakes, or wood ticks, or cougars.  The last cougar I saw was in Salt Creek Canyon a few years ago.  (Unless you count being on BYU’s campus)

   I guess the message today is:  “Be Bear Aware!”  I don’t know of any nudist camps in Sanpete, so we’ll save the message of: “Be Bare Aware!” for another time.   — Merrill