Bear in camp

TheGDog

WKR
Joined
Jun 12, 2020
Messages
3,263
Location
OC, CA
Buddy, there was no human billy goat this past season, unfortunately.
Sorry to hear it. Me too. Finally got around to getting my MRI's and several of the discs are bulging and/or moved over from where they should be. One of 'em was 5mm of bulging into the foramin space. That one they said was showing with retrolisthesis, which means the the disc shifted rearward. And I'm pretty sure I know damn well when it did too.

So anyhoo... figure after new year... slowly... go about doing appointments for initial consult with a spine guy. And likely PT appts and likely some steroids injections to buy me some time.
 
Joined
Sep 22, 2013
Messages
6,389
Here's an excerpt from a Sierra backpacking trip I took some years ago with that guy.

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That night I had difficulty sleeping, imaginary bears circled my tent and I was uneasy, as I usually am the first couple of nights in the field. Chipmunks sound like Bigfoot in the mountains. I was also super-hydrated making for a busy bladder management routine. I was finally sound asleep when around 4am I was awakened to find the corner of my tent collapsing and a heavy weight gripping my leg. I screamed to Gary, “Arm yourself! Bear in camp!!!” as I felt around in the dark for my revolver. The bear dragged me a foot or more when I got the first round off, then a second. The .44 mag left me with a distinct ringing in my ears and the muzzle flash melted portions of the Tarptent before sizzling out. There was no movement that I could see and my hearing was gone. I found my flashlight, unzipped the mesh and stepped out of the tent, limping as I stood. There was no blood on my pants but as I walked around the tent, blood was everywhere. My light revealed the most horrible thing I ever saw…there, in the dirt, toes up and stone cold dead laid Gary, my partner. He was pranking me and I freaked out and shot him twice, once in the left chest and once in the face. I pushed the button my PLB knowing no rescue effort would change the fact that I had just killed my good friend. By the time Search & Rescue arrived I was catatonic, unable to speak. Thoughts whizzed around in my head like bees in a beehive and I could not do anything but shake. Then I woke up. It was the worst nightmare I had had in a long time. My heart was pounding and didn’t slow down for a long time. Hearing Gary snore in the next tent helped but that night was a rough one. Once the graylight of dawn emerged I was finally able to get some quality sleep and I was out like a light.

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Stid2677

WKR
Joined
Sep 13, 2012
Messages
2,349
Just wait for your partner to get to sleep,,,soon as they are. Yell that you hear a bear.... Then go to sleep while your partner lies there listening for the "bear" :)
 
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