Oh Dear...

Here is my bear story for the journey so far. My friend Keith has a similar one which I thought was really funny until it happened to me.

I was camping on an abandoned farm just outside of a little town called Heffley Creek north of Kamloops. It was pretty idyllic location, just on the side of a hill, out of clear sight from the road. The weather was perfect - I was even able to leave my fly half open. I hadn't biked that much that day, but I fell asleep pretty quickly nonetheless (anyone who knows me knows that I have a special talent for sleeping).

At some point during the pitch black night I woke to a terrifying noise:
THUMP...THUMP...THUMP...sniff...sniff...snort...SNORT!
Being in bear country I was immediately gripped by the worst type of imaginings. As I laid there trying to determine what to do I could hear the beast shuffling towards me through the grass. My heart was pounding so hard I'm sure it was registering on a seismograph somewhere. There was nothing I could do - it was right outside my tent! I slowly pulled the sleeping bag away from my face and opened my eyes. Standing there, staring right back at me from no more than three feet away, was the brazenest deer I have ever encountered. Unbelievably relieved, I gently asked the deer to leave me alone. "Please go away," I said. It leaned in for a closer sniff and nudged my tent a little. Figuring I could take advantage of this opportunity, I slowly reached for my camera. The deer watched intently as I made my move, but its patience was tested when I tried peeling open the velcro case. It bolted, and I returned to my slumber in (possibly false) confidence that no deer would be hanging around a meadow if there was a bear anywhere nearby.