Even homebodies go on vacation.

I love visiting new places, however, for a variety of reasons, I find traveling to be very stressful. It’s a bit anxiety inducing, if I’m being honest, so going places requires a little more time in meditation to prepare and a few more deep breaths along the way than others may expect to experience. But going to the NC mountains, for this homebody at least, is more like going home than going out, so I’m always up for a trip west.

And that’s where this wildlife encounter took place, at Panthertown, a preserved backcountry reserve and bear sanctuary in the Nantahala Forest, NC, summer 2020.

I was hiking with my husband and 2 pre-teen boys. Panthertown was recommended to us by our fly-fishing guides. We read up on the area the night before heading out. It’s pretty wild. There isn’t ranger or staff support, the trail system wasn’t at the time, well mapped. As the name suggests, it’s a refuge to big predators like the Eastern Cougar (or panther) and American Black Bears. We were up for the adventure, but wanted to come prepared.

I was simultaneously nervous to bring my boys to such a place and very excited. I have never seen a bear in the wild. I certainly don’t want a close encounter, but I was up for some signs of bear life!

The first pile of bear scat was within a half mile of the trail head at Cold Mountain. It seemed fairly fresh to our untrained eyes. It had rained the night before, so we weren’t surprised to find it had lost its shape. Yes, of course I knelt down for a closer inspection, hence the close-up of a scavenging snail on the mound (see photos)!

Panthertown is gorgeous. It’s two main waterways converge to join the Tuckasegee River. There are many small streams and numerous waterfalls. We reached Schoolhouse Falls quickly finding that we weren’t the first ones to arrive. It proved to be a popular hangout. However, once we moved deeper on the trail past the falls, there was much less traffic, which we didn’t mind. I am a sucker for a quiet walk through the woods.

The bear claw marks in the tree as compared to my husband’s large hand.

Beyond the falls our trek continued, eventually finding our next bear track. Right off the beaten path was a tree, superficially marked by bear claws. Bears mark their territory by rubbing scent against trees, biting through the bark or slicing the bark with claws. This discovery increased our excitement and our alertness. We kept to the hiking trail, in no way, shape, or form actively tracking a bear!

We plodded along, eventually reaching the top of this particular ridge to discover a gorgeous bald. We hung out there for quite some time, exploring the vegetation, so different from the hardwood forest we just walked through. We enjoyed the views of the valley below, took photos and met and chatted with some experienced Pathertown hikers. It was on the trail back down the mountain where we came across our second pile of scat. This was an older specimen as it was obviously fertilizing the growth of some unidentified plant (see photos). Were we lucky to find so many signs of wildlife, or silly not to rush back to the car?

This particular hike meandered along a stream bank, so now and then, we stumbled on additional falls. Wanting to explore more, we’d venture off the trail to get to the water’s edge. When we hike as a family, we naturally fall into a patterned line of travelers, always adult-child-child-adult. At this point in our trip I happened to be the last in line, the boys excited to get down to the next waterfall. As they forged ahead, I experienced a strange phenomenon. Have you ever swam through a warm column of water in an otherwise cool pool or pond? This is the best metaphor for my experience, except, instead of warm water, I walked right into a cloud of husky aromatics. Was it wet or sweaty? If this makes any sense, my memory of this exact moment, is warm. This “bubble” of air I had stepped into seemed to have distinct boundaries, as if it were a cartoon cloud on a Bugs Bunny rerun.

Did I smell a bear? I stopped. Looked around. I let the boys continue down with my husband (it honestly seemed the safest choice in the moment). I called out something friendly and encouraging to my family (Ha, this is so much fun, right guys!?), probably louder than they would have expected, but in my head, I was trying to make noise to ward off a bear, assuming it was a bear and not my overactive imagination. We had seen enough evidence of bears for it to have been reasonably imagined and for an encounter to seem plausible.

How close would a bear have to be for me to pick up its scent? How strange it is to remember a cloud of warm, musky, sweaty, BO that wafted just over the path, clearly not detectable by the three who just passed that way.

I proceeded to the water, keeping a careful eye out. I didn’t say anything until we got back to the car. We followed proper safety protocols for hiking in bear country: making plenty of noise, keeping food properly packed and packing out any litter. We remained alert. And we returned safely, no worse for the wear, no harm had come to any wild bear due to our visit.

And I acknowledge, it’s completely possible that I imagined the entire olfactory experience, but maybe I had indeed smelled a bear.

Backcountry vs. Frontcountry

Going out in the wild comes with inherent risks but the deeper you go out, the more prepared you need to be.

Frontcountry experiences are those that are more easily accessible: they may have bathrooms, trashcans, quite possibly drinking water is available and even electricity hookups for camping. Frontcountry spaces are typically staffed, at least in part and if an emergency were to happen, the odds of getting help quickly is greater.

Backcountry does not have the personnel or infrastructure support if you need it and is often farther away from major roadways, therefore preparing for a backcountry experience should not be underestimated in its importance.

Know the terrain before you go and wear appropriate clothing. Bring additional food and water in case your trip doesn’t go as smoothly as planned. Pack in flashlights, matches, first aid kits and clothing for if weather changes suddenly. Carry a paper map with you or download a park map before you go as you should assume you will lose internet access at least for some time on your trip. If you choose to explore these wildernesses, it is your responsibility to come prepared, especially when you have others in tow.

I feel very strongly that our visits to these special places come with responsibility beyond ourselves. We humans are the visitors and as such, we should behave with respect and awareness. Leave No Trace is an important behavior to practice and when or if you are confronted with wild animals that may behave in a way that is threatening, take a breath, remember, they too feel threatened and do what you can do to de-escalate any stand-off situation. Our human influence on wild flora and fauna has been devastating and these preservations are meant to undo some of that. So, enjoy, be safe, be in awe, and leave it as you found it.