August 25, 2012
Pigeon Forge, TN
We arrived at our lovely cabin up on a mountain late in the afternoon after a very winding drive through the Smokey Mountains. The cabin was perfect... three bedrooms and very rustic with beautiful mountain views and modern conveniences. The only problem was the three bedrooms were on three different levels. Not the best set up with kids, but they had no worries and loved their time away from mom and dad.
That evening while the kids were enjoying their new home for the next several days, I picked up the packet we had been given at check-in. It contained all the do's and don'ts for staying on their properties. For example, do not leave trash outside in the garbage can at night and do not panic if you find insects in the cabin. While I was leafing through all the info. I spotted a sheet of paper with instructions on how to survive a bear encounter. What? Survive? Bear? I was not real sure this was exactly what I had had in mind. After telling me that bears roamed freely in the neighborhood they were making sure I understood what to do should I find on on the porch of our cabin. Really? I already knew what I would do and thankfully most of it was in the instruction guide.
That evening I walked in the boy's bathroom and there was a scorpion on the floor. Thankfully it was dead, but that was enough to keep me checking my shoes, suitcases, and anything else that I picked up for the rest of the week.
That night I did not sleep well. I was awakened several times by what sounded like something walking on the porch outside our bedroom. Once, I woke up to the sound of howling coyotes. I started praying because I figured that, if they got any closer, we would have had a bed full of kids. Finally around 6a.m. the next morning I heard the sound of something grunting outside. My bear had arrived. I was up in a flash peering out every window making sure I could see it but that it could not see me. I went upstairs and down looking and checking and there was no bear anywhere to be found. I was a little disappointed that I didn't have anything to tell.
After awhile the kids began to get up and I asked how they had slept. I told them what I had heard during the night and about what I thought I heard that morning. They listened intently and then Kaitlyn asked, "Mom, what time did you hear the bear?" I said around 6 this morning and she started laughing. I asked her what was so funny and she said, "That is when my cell phone ringing on vibrate. I wondered why you came in my room peering out the window after that."
Seriously?
Moral of the Story: Do NOT read instructions on how to survive a bear encounter before going to bed if you have a very active imagination.
