Bear Essentials, Part 3

Josh never saw the bear he followed into the woods. Or maybe he did. As he made his way along the Heart Mountain loop, he crossed a stream and saw a grizzly directly on the trail ahead of him. He tried to make noise to get the bear to acknowledge him, but it was busy eating grass and couldn't be bothered. Josh didn't want to surprise it, so he made his way off trail. He soon learned Lesson Three: Watch out for things other than bears.

As he made his way around the bear, he startled a pack of wolves. The group scattered and soon he was cornered. Wolves all around howling, a grizzly on the trail and a creek to his back. Eventually the bear heard his shouts and raised his head and the wolves retreated into the next meadow. Josh carefully made his way around everything and back to the trail.

Beer Fest Enthusiast

Beer festivals are like restaurants. It seems like an easy thing to pull off - give people beer. People happy. But as we know, there's a difference between Applebee's and Four Peaks. The Big Pour in Mesa last month made all other beer fests look like a kegger in the woods. Hosted by Draft Magazine, the event had more than 100 microbrews on tap at the Hohokam Stadium. It also had a mess of bar games. It was like a giant outdoor pub. Get a beer, play some basketball. Get a beer, play some bean bag toss. Get a beer, go to the batting cages. Get a beer, play some pool. It was as if they magazine had brought Josh on as a consultant.... Maybe next year.

Bear Essentials, Part 2

Josh wasn't expecting his first bear encounter to happen so soon - or so dramatically. Still, he wasn't scared away from his intended hike when the trails to Heart Lake opened again. He set off through the snowy landscape. The forest was still in recovery from the 1980s fire and the trail passed through burnt remains and young tree growth. The forest was new, but dense and he wondered what it must have been like before the burn. He was alone with his thoughts. Or was he? The park might have been empty of tourists in October, but it was full of wildlife, and he could see their footprints in the snow. Lesson #2: Don't follow a bear into the woods.

Josh looked at the size of the bear tracks ahead of him on the trail. How far ahead was it? Was it better that it was on the trail rather than in the woods? He had no choice but to continue along his route and fortunately, never encountered the bear.