I was paddling down a winding river on the weekend – one way to take advantage of a day when the weather is still middling but has promise. There’s always something different to see. This time five mergansers paddled within ten feet of me.
Around one bend there was a small beach, and as I got closer I noticed animal tracks. I pulled over and got out to take a closer look. Bear cub tracks – little front paws (about two and a half inches wide) at the edge of the water.
It had rained all night, just letting up before I set off. These two impressions in the sand were perfectly outlined – very recent.
So what did those bear cub prints mean? It meant the bear’s mother must have been close by, so it was time to get back in the canoe and get going.
Later when I was sitting on the porch, a chipmunk sat at my feet, as if to say, ’unlike bears, my mother won’t mind you being here at all. Now how about sharing some of those walnuts…’
Play Outside Now 