Andrew Schrauben

On today's trail run Haven and I encountered lots of various creatures in the woods. First we spotted some turkeys in a roadside lawn - luckily Haven didn't pull hard but she whined a bit. Then we met a lady on a dirt road walking her two poodles; I allowed Haven to go say hi but after a few sniffs she clearly felt there were better things to do than hang out with a pair of little yappers! We saw a cat crossing the road ahead of us and Haven forced me into a sprint. (If the cat is half black and half white, does that mean I get some bad luck and some good luck?) Later on Haven chased a half dozen deer through the woods.

The biggest scare happened as I descended a technical hill that was rocky enough that I had to watch my step. Finally at the bottom, I looked up to see a black bear standing just 30 feet in front of me with Haven (off leash) standing halfway between us! My mind flashed the following thoughts in sequence (amazing how one can remember this stuff in this adrenaline-inducing situations) over the next, oh, 0.5 seconds:

"Holy cow, a BEAR!!!!"
"How am I gonna get out of this situation?"
"How will I keep Haven safe?"
"Do I call Haven and turn around and risk it chasing us?"
"If I try to scare it off, will Haven try to chase it?"
"If I have to fight it, I could do that, and a big stick would help"
"Oh... It's a DOG!!!"



No kidding! It was some shepherd mix with wooly black hair plus a splash of white on its chest and some tan on its muzzle - the exact coloring of a black bear! In case you are like me and can't tell the difference very easily, the first reference photo is a black bear and the second is a bear-ish dog.



Haven and the bear-dog cautiously sniffed each other before Haven went on to jump all over his owners, a couple who were 100 feet or so behind their dog. Everyone politely said hi and we went on our way.

Haven started lagging behind a bit over the last 20 minutes, so at least I wasn't the only one to get tired! We finished our 12 rugged miles in a little over 2 hours, a nice weekend long run. Right as we finished we saw Amanda and Beacon jogging from the opposite direction, finishing their 1-hour workout. Once inside, Haven found the nearest sunbeam and lay down for a nap, rolling onto her back to ensure she gets an even tan. :)