Things That Go Thud, Puff in the Night

A Bear Story From an Autumn Backpacking Trip
in Yellowstone National Park

Over the past decade, Mike and I have done tons of backpacking in Yellowstone National Park, throughout southwest Montana, and beyond, many times in grizzly bear country. While we have a healthy respect for bears when we are in their backyard, we do not fear them. I suspect this is due to a combination of our nature and the fact that we have seen so few of them during our many miles of backcountry travel. 

Here is the story of a spooky bear encounter we had in Yellowstone over the weekend. (As an FYI, we explored the Upper Pebble Creek/Bliss Pass area of the park and stayed in campsite 3P2.)

If you have a bear story to tell, please share it in the comments section of this post.

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The first day of our backpacking in Yellowstone was splendid. Warm weather was followed by cool nighttime temperatures perfect for sleeping. With clear skies and little chance of rain, we set up our red and white Hubba Hubba tent without its rainfly. After dinner, Mike and I settled in beneath a sprinkle of stars and the steady soft rumble of the creek. We looked at maps and read until we became droopy eyed. Ensconced in our warm sleeping bags, sleep came easily.

“Did you hear that?!” we both said an hour or two later.

We strained to listen and thought we head something but couldn’t be sure. The muted sound got closer and there was no mistaking the dull footsteps and pulsing breath of an animal. The creature plodded along and although it wasn’t loud, the sound was unsettling. Only a thin layer of nylon and mesh separated us from one of Yellowstone’s majestic (Yet potentially dangerous) wild creatures.

Thud, puff.

Thud, puff.

Thud, puff.

We were pretty certain it was a bear. From our tent we made noise and shined our headlamps across our campsite but couldn’t see anything. The sound came even closer, paused for a few beats but soon started again.

 Thud, puff.

Thud, puff.

Thud, puff.

We “played dead” and I burrowed close to Mike. A crackle of branches before haunting silence. A few seconds later paws resumed slapping the ground but soon got faint and faded away.

Adrenaline pulsed through our bodies. How long was this incident? Five minutes? 45 seconds? Who knows. It felt like an eternity. We had over nine hours of darkness to endure but Mike and I convinced ourselves that the danger had passed and miraculously, we slept.

A few hours later...

Thud, puff.

Thud, puff.

Thud, puff.  

Splash.

Our nighttime visitor was back. We hooted and whooped and scanned the velvety blackness through the mesh of our tent. Mike took the safety off his bear spray, but luckily, we saw no dark foreboding form and no incandescent menacing eyeballs. The animal’s rhythmic two-step continued. It sounded further away than before and quickly passed through our camp. 

F*CK! Would this continue all night? Somehow, Mike and I managed to get some shut-eye. 

At dawn, the sky was a muted indigo and I woke up to find myself curled in a ball as I sometimes do when I’m cold at night but this time I was coiled tight trying to make myself as small as possible. The creek continued to gurgle, and a thin coat of frost was on our backpacks; it was like any other fall morning in Yellowstone’s backcountry, but I now felt exposed and a lot closer to nature. 

Mike and I listened for footsteps, but none came. We stayed in tent until it was fully light just in case something was lurking. When we emerged, we were glad to see that our food and cooking gear were still hanging from food pole in the cooking area. Other than a disturbed clump of moss and some smashed greenery along the rocky creek side, nothing was amiss. 

Over breakfast we rehashed the incident. 

Was the animal angry? About to attack? Just letting us know he was there? The truth is, we don’t know. We speculated that it was a curious bear, perhaps a nervous bear. 

What can be learned from this situation? It was a reminder to follow the backcountry rules recommended by the park, which we did. We kept a tidy camp, had bear spray with us, and followed the advice of the backcountry office, which issued no bear warnings for this area. We saw no signs of bear activity at our site and placed our tent 100 yards from the cooking area. We had done everything right.

What could we do differently in the future? Mike and I have done several late autumn backpacking trips in Yellowstone, but we now considered the reality of an outing at this time of year, when bears are reported to be foraging for food up to 20 hours a day. It was another reminder to be alert and follow the recommended safety tips when traveling in grizzly country.

As we talked and lounged over coffee, a handsome russet moose wandered through our campsite about 50 feet from where we sat. He stared ahead scratching its blocky head and neck on tree. Before moving on, this regal fellow gave us a quick glance but seemed largely unconcerned with our presence. 

Would we go backpacking in Yellowstone in the fall again? With caution, but without a doubt.

This is the bear we saw on Bliss Pass the next day. 

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If you go backpacking in Yellowstone:

• Yellowstone backcountry permit information - https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/backcountryhiking.htm

• Backcountry safety tips for Yellowstone – here are the park’s recommendations: https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/backcountrysafety.htm

• Yellowstone backcountry conditions report - https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/situationreport.htm

Mike contacted the ranger station and filed a bear incident report as they requested, but as of today, campsite 3P2 remains open and there are no bear warnings for the Upper Pebble Creek area.

~

Want to read more?

• Here are a few posts about Yellowstone: https://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/search/label/Yellowstone%20national%20park

• And some about backpacking: https://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/search/label/Backpacking