Adventure and Discovery
  • Blog
  • About
  • Track

Arctic to Pacific to Atlantic for Cancer

your support makes a difference with a click here

Grizzly Close up

11/6/2017

17 Comments

 


Day seven on the Dempster I was slowly climbing the last slope to Seven Mile Hill, just above the Olgilvie River. I heard a grunt-like pant and heavy foot falls, looked over my right shoulder, direct into the face of a grizzly. I had one brief moment of "what a magnificent animal" big brown eyes level with mine. It was enough to calm a panic action, to stop the bike and reach for the bear spray. We were long past the "make noise to warn him" and the "stand up tall to make yourself look bigger", we had skipped a few vital stages of bear encounter rules. The teeth biting into my handle bar bag clinched the rapid bear spray action (even had the calm to check the bear spray was pointed in the right direction). So from 30 cm away a burst of spray stopped the next chomp. He retreated rapidly to the side of the road, but disturbingly only 20 metres or so. I cautiously started back up the hill, head swivelling backwards.

It took a kilometre or two before the nerves cut in. I checked my airtight snack bag, someone had left 2cm of the seal unzipped. What an incredible nose to detect the few microns of snack food drifting out of another closed bag.

News travels fast up here, clearly this wasn't a run of the mill encounter, Lolita from the Yukon Parks office tracked me down as I rode into Dawson for a hour or so detailed debrief.

That was the unwelcome excitement of the last 10 days across the Dempster highway. The remainder from day one was an incredible ride through vast space, mountains in all directions, the huge glistening watery network of the McKenzie delta below. Green glaciers in their last stages of melt, crystal clear glacial streams and wild life everywhere, not always so intentionally visible.

With neither ferry for the McKenzie or Peel River crossings open for my arrival, l was carrying food for a long camp out waiting for a local with a boat to get me across the kilometre wide swirling torrents of icy water. It took just half a days wait at each, and a highlight of spending time with local Qwich'in people.

Ernest a Qwich'in elder filled three wonderful hours on the banks of the Peel River. We inspected his fresh stock of drying Whitefish and he told me his story of cancer recovery. With chronic bowel and stomach cancer, doctors had removed much of both. The operation also paralysed him from the waist down. Given two days to live he asked a best friend to take him home "to set a net in his river". With a grandson lifting his legs into the boat he did just that. He had a vision with his dead father on one side and more live and experience on the other. Fighting pains memory loss and forcing himself in to action, he got his legs functioning. Last winter he and his wife loaded up the Ski-Doo to travel 200km to the caribou hunting grounds, alone.

At his last assessment with his Doctor there was absolutely no sign of cancer. I left him about to repair his chainsaw to cut firewood from the huge pile of tree trunks the melting ice of the Peel had dumped in his front yard. He told me the risks of grizzly's in my path across the Dempster "I am comfortable with bears" he said. I like to think he lent me a small part of that comfort.
Picture
Ernest on the banks of his "TV" passing life on the Peel River
17 Comments
Barb
11/6/2017 05:45:42 pm

Hope your heart rate has returned to normal so you can sleep! Nice to get a calming influence from the elder. Amazing stories already - you have come across some lovely people and inspiring scenery, and I'm sure there'll be heaps more on your journey. Enjoy your rest day tomorrow, and know that you will be taking all our love with you on the next stage. XXX

Reply
Elva
11/6/2017 06:03:51 pm

What a very exciting encounter for you & the grizzly.What an amazing story about Dempster, inspirational. What an amazing trip your having.
Lots love Elva

Reply
Ang and des
11/6/2017 07:07:34 pm

Wow scarey story, we've been waiting for those details, but that was a bit close! So glad that bit has been more than balanced by the positive and beautiful experiences you are having. Great to hear from you,all is going well with us,
love Ang and Des

Reply
Shane
11/6/2017 08:31:03 pm

WOAH... that's a bit full on. If you're going meet a Grizzly, you might as well do it properly. Am pretty glad you had the presence of mind to get out of there...

Reply
gavin cornford
11/6/2017 09:01:07 pm

Keep it zipped, eh Lindsay, not much in 2cm gap but the bears are hungry!
Brave of you, got a rear-view mirror on that bike?

Reply
Buck Benson
12/6/2017 12:47:16 am

That bear story was amazing. So were you to be so calm with the bear spray. I am very impressed.

Reply
Lee Bergstrom
12/6/2017 01:17:20 am

Lyndsay - oh the tales you will be able to tell after this trip. Your calmness in your grizzly situation amazes me. Your fight and flight spirit rocks!!! May this continue to be with you as you travel along. Love the story with the elder. Looking forward to reading your adventures, hopefully less dramatic as you go. See you in August.

Reply
Lindsay
12/6/2017 09:07:59 am

Thanks all for your thoughts. Rest day is disappearing fast with preparations for the next stage. Still a long way between supply points.
Will be off the air for another 5 days or so.

Reply
Holly
12/6/2017 09:41:18 am

Amazing stories!! Hope there are no more bears though!

Reply
Aunty Carol
12/6/2017 10:37:50 pm

Will follow your journey with great interest,stay safe,and may you make many contacts that enrich your experiences.

Reply
Imagine Preschool
13/6/2017 01:33:34 pm

Oh no Lindsay! You must be careful of bears! We have come up with some ideas for signs to put on your bike to keep the bears away.

"No bears are allowed!"

"You are not allowed to bite people's bikes!"

"Bears shouldn't bite food cases!"

"Bears can't bite bikes!"

"Bears can't eat up your legs!"


Feel free to use our ideas to make a sign. We are pretty good at drawing bears if you need help.

Keep safe and Kia kaha!

The big kids at Imagine .

Reply
Dennis and Chris
14/6/2017 09:22:17 am

Fantastic - great writing. Close ones eyes and it's out there! Bears and all. Travel well. Cheers

Reply
Erik W Loy
15/6/2017 08:14:45 am

Still a long way to go Lindsay. It will be difficult though to top this story!

Reply
mum G
15/6/2017 02:51:16 pm

Amazing bear ecounter wonderful people,kind of envy those treasures
And this is only the early part of this once in a lifetime trip.loveyou mum.

Reply
Juno and Phil
17/6/2017 05:44:37 pm

Looks awesome. Great to have some company for a few days.
Caught up with Barb this morning which was lovely.
Keep those wheels turning xx

Reply
Stephen Higgins
20/6/2017 01:19:53 am

I met you at Eagle Plains and again when I was riding my motorcycle south to Dawson where you told me about the bear encounter from the previous day.
When I arrived at Dawson I found a shirt that was so appropriate for you. It showed a bear chasing a man on a bike and it had the caption "Meals on Wheels".

Reply
Mary Blair
18/7/2017 11:55:14 pm

The bear story and others are just amazing Lindsay - you're a champion!! Been loving the spectacular scenery too, that you've been enjoying!! Continue to take good care and all the very best!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Lindsay Gault.
    ​Turning adventure into contribution

    Jim Mora Radio NZ Interview
    Minnesota Radio Interview

    Archives

    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Blog
  • About
  • Track