June 12, 2005

June 12, 2005

West Hawk Lake day 26 of 113

DAY 360

 

Today started out cool and raining AGAIN, but cleared and warmed by late afternoon.

Today's big excitement in the campground was a bear. While we were having lunch, Bo started barking furiously, looking out a window. I looked out the window to see a yearling bear wandering through the campsite behind us. I went outside, and it ambled off into the forest. I reported it to the front office, and within minutes 2 truckloads of Conservation Officers showed up. Apparently the bear had arrived in the campground last night, and was already a problem. It took a camper's pack last night. When the Conservation Officers showed up and fired their "bear scare" gun at it last night, it just climbed up into a tree and tore open the pack to see what was inside. The Conservation Officers had already set up a bear trap at the far end of the campground this morning, before I saw the bear behind our campsite. They left, because the bear was now gone. A few minutes later, it showed up again, checking out the picnic shelter behind us to see if there was anything good in there, then wandering over to the garbage shed behind our trailer to check that out too. Elvira, the Maintenance Supervisor drove by, jumped out of her truck, and recruited me to chase the bear back into the forest. She was previously a zoo keeper, and has good animal skills and knowledge, so I figured she knew what she was doing. We chased the bear back into the forest. While we were standing around talking, her explaining her rationale to me for chasing the bear back into the woods, as opposed to calling for the Conservation Officers, it wandered back out of the woods and headed for section A of the campground, the lakefront section that was packed with campers. We ran over and chased it away from section A. Elvira asked me to keep chasing it back into the forest if and when it appeared, because the Park Conservation Officers have a mandate to destroy campground bears. Alas, 2 hours later, it was in the bear trap, and being hauled away. Goodbye, little bear < sniff >. At least Elvira and I managed to keep it out of section A of the campground, where the Conservation Officers would probably have had to shoot it right in front of Mr. & Mrs. Suburban Camper and their kids.

Because of the weather, I felt lethargic for the early part of the day. Joanne went to Falcon Lake to buy some groceries and return a phone call to her sister, and I read my book all morning. After lunch, and my bear chasing escapade, I napped. Finally, late in the afternoon after the sky cleared, and it warmed, I felt like getting outside and doing something. We walked Bo for an obedience training session. We cleaned and waxed another upper section of the trailer. This seems like the endless job from hell. We're about 3/4 done. We drained the kitchen holding tank into the waste tote, and then took the tote to be emptied. I did some "spring cleaning" in my fishing tackle box. We barbecued a late supper, then accepted an invitation from some neighbouring campers to join them around their campfire.

DSK