An Unbearable Situation
Our family has been camping for a few years. We go tenting at state parks. Some might call it ‘glamping’ since we use air mattresses and allow the kids to watch a movie on our laptop at night. We do cook over the campfire most of the time, though, and I like to think that puts a notch in our plaid flannel shirt.
While we are not newbies anymore, we do continue to learn something new each time we go camping. For example, this time we learned that even the best of tents sometimes leak. We had a major rainstorm while camping. We were prepared with an extra tarp thrown over the top of the tent. All was well as far as the ceiling goes. However, moisture seeped up from under the tent where the terrain underneath naturally dipped a little. I had mistakenly thought that we had that problem prevented. When we first started tenting, I read multiple blogs and camping advice sites. They all said the same thing: Lay down a tarp about the same size as the footprint of your tent. It will help prevent moisture from wicking up through the tent floor. We have done so religiously every time we have camped and until this year, never had any reason to dispute this advice.
We discovered there are some guidelines to the tarp footprint. For one, you need to make sure the terrain is perfectly flat. If you hear the sarcasm in my writing it is for a good reason. I have never seen perfectly flat terrain in Pennsylvania or Allegheny State Park. I thought we found a pretty good piece of land for the tent that was relatively flat. However, after the rain, the low spots caused seepage into the tent through the floor.
The second piece of advice is to make sure the tarp under the tent is folded so that no rain can make its way between the tarp and the underside of the tent. That is where we had a problem. After the hard rain, we could see the water rippling and sloshing under the floor of the tent, like a water bed. It didn’t take long for a small puddle to form. And of course, the puddle didn’t have the courtesy to develop in broad daylight; it came in during the night and soaked my daughter’s blanket.
We camp in black bear country. It is simply part of our region in Pennsylvania and the Allegheny State Park in New York. I have learned through park rangers and game wardens what to do to prevent a bear encounter, and what to do if you happen to meet up with one. Here are some of the best tips for avoiding bear visitors in your campsite:
1. Keep a clean campsite.
Clean up and wipe down any tables. Don’t leave food out unattended. Take care of the trash. Don’t leave trash out when you leave the campsite. I tie ours off and put in in the back of our car. We dispose of the trash daily at the park’s refuse and recycling center.
2. Keep all food put away.
Most state park campsites have bear boxes. These are metal boxes that bears cannot get into, even if they smell food in it. I put in non-perishable items and cookware, our camping plates, and extra equipment such as cords, dish soap, cooking utensils, and other odds and ends. Perishable items I keep in coolers in one of our vehicles, which we always park strategically in the shadiest part of our lot. The other car is used for any running around we want to do. I even burn off the s’more debris on our metal skewers so that little bit of stuck on marshmallow won’t attract any uninvited guests. I cannot stress enough that food, even in the car, must be in a cooler or tote with the lid on tightly. If a bear can’t smell it, it won’t be attracted to it.
These guidelines have been hard and fast in our family. Each night I would walk around the campsite with good light and look for any trash, bits of food, or cookware that may have been left out. I would like to say we have been awarded with absolutely no bear encounters because of our diligence, but then this factual article would become fiction.
This past trip the front seat of my husband’s car somehow got soaked. His car was what I called the chuck wagon. It was designated as the place for the food, parked along the edge of the woods in the shade. All the coolers and extra food was stored there, including several gallons of water we had frozen ahead of time. So, whether a cooler leaked, or condensation from thawing water jugs, or a leak from the rain, we never found out. Either way, the driver’s seat was drenched.
In an effort to dry it out, we left the driver’s side door open while we were at the campsite. That worked pretty well. That night we closed up the car and went about our business. We enjoyed a beautiful evening after a couple of days of cloudy, rainy weather, and commented on how bright the stars looked. Eventually, the fire was low enough we could put it out and take the family down to the bathhouse to brush teeth and get ready for bed.
Back in the tent, we were reading before falling asleep. I was just about to turn off the lantern when we heard an alarming sound outside. I have gotten used to the snap of branches and rustle of leaves in the woods. Critters are moving around all the time. They don’t bother me. However, this was the sound of something near my husband’s car. I hoped it was just a raccoon getting frisky. However, the tell-tale sound of metal giving under a greater weight made me shoot out of bed and shine a flashlight.
“Crap. Is that what I think it is?”
“Yup. It’s a bear.”
It was hard to see because the screen in the windows of the tent was reflecting the light from our flashlights back in our eyes, making our sight greatly diminished. The kids were gathered in the middle of the tent. My youngest was shaking and terrified. He couldn’t wrap himself around me or even cry at that point. He was literally petrified with fear.
Then I had a bright idea: set off the panic button to the SUV. I was feeling pretty smug and resourceful until we realized the alarm did nothing but make the bear look up guiltily from trying to break into my husband’s car. By now he was on the roof, and the metal was bending under the bear’s weight.
We finally went after the tried and true method of clapping and yelling at it. It got down (not in hurry, but giving up because we two-legged creatures are so annoying) and went out into the woods. It went past the fire pit. The last thing I saw of it was its big black behind as it sauntered its way into the woods on the footpath. I was scared but also paused to think that the bear was beautiful. Its coat was dark and shiny. This bear had been well-fed this summer for sure.
I breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the kids. Then I heard the deep breathing outside the tent. Seriously? I told the kids, “Okay, on the count of three, yell, ready?” They joined me in a holler and whatever was outside the back of the tent left.
I related this tale to a friend who is a game warden and he gave me some encouragement. The area we were in is known for black bears, but they are not aggressive at all towards people. In fact, he said that I could probably throw rocks at it to scare it away. Unfortunately, with my aim, I would be more likely to break the car window, but I appreciate the advice. So, here are some tips on how to get rid of unwelcome visitors.
- Don’t panic.
2. Clap your hands.
3. Yell authoritatively.
4. Don’t panic.
5. Repeat steps 1–4. If it is a black bear, it will leave. They don’t really like people, just our food.
Some other tactics to try is to throw rocks or bang pans together. However, I think that the human voice is more likely to get the bear to leave than anything else. Oh, and don’t bother with your car’s panic button. It is a waste of time.
We found out the reason why the bear paid us a visit was because we invited it. What I didn’t see during my last check of the campsite was that there were marshmallows in the back window of the car, and the back window was cracked open enough to let the scent out. It was a detail I overlooked. You can bet I won’t ever make that mistake again. Thankfully, the bear didn’t damage the car that much. There are a couple of new scratches on the roof. I think there may be a new dent on the hood, but it is hard to tell with that car since it has had a couple of encounters with deer. The plastic rain guards over the windows are broken off.
We ended up cutting our camping trip short. The terror on my kids’ faces was too palpable to push them through the rest of our stay. The good news is that they are looking forward to camping again next year. My husband and I decided to rent a cabin instead of tenting. I hope the kids will regain confidence, and enjoy the experience as much as I do. Nature can be peaceful and relaxing, even after an unbearable situation.
