Bears & Scares: Great Smoky Mountains NP

“Do one thing every day that scares you.”

~Eleanore Roosevelt

We headed into The Great Smoky Mountains NP with a plan today. We wanted to drive along Cades Cove Loop and try to see some black bears.  Apparently you are almost guaranteed to see them along this drive. The park has a very large population of black bears, and our KOA host told us they roam through this campground almost every night. I had a dream that one was trying to get into our RV last night and it felt very real. Not the best way to wake up! 

I packed for the day with my bear spray (that should make you feel better, Mom) and our picnic lunch. Cades Cove scenic drive winds for 11 miles through the Great Smoky Mountains.  Europeans settled the area between 1818 and 1821, and some of their cabins remain as historic sites that you can walk though along the drive. We heard that depending on traffic this loop can take 2 to 4 hours, and they were not kidding. It was slow but it was beautiful.  

We did the loop once and did not see a single bear. Then, heading to the clearing for our picnic lunch, we were warned one was headed our way. I tried to be brave but I couldn’t do it. I know I already mentioned this, but I am terrified of bears. Perhaps it has to do with being worried about them when we were at our family cottage growing up (there were a lot of them).  But I will say that phobias are legit and unless you have one it’s hard to understand. I also feel that since having my own little cubs, I am a lot more cautious and protective. We moved along and didn’t see any bears— except the grumpy one in our truck whose picnic spot was ruined.  

We rounded the horn again and did one more loop. Since we still hadn’t seen a bear by the time we got to Ron’s original picnic site choice, we decided to venture out to try enjoying our picnic. Ron took the two pups for added protection. Maggie was on high alert the entire time we ate our lunch. Remi just wanted to play. Knowing the dogs would warn us if they caught scent of anything helped me relax a bit.  I’m happy to say we survived our lunch without a vicious bear attack—or even a visit from Yogi or Boo Boo wanting to steal our Picnic basket.  

With full tummies at last we went back to our snail paced crawl along the drive. Five minutes down the road, we saw our first black bear! I bet this is the one we were warned about but Ron will never admit it. We slowed to take a bunch of pictures of course and contributed to the slow traffic ourselves (oops). Then, we stopped to walk around one of the old cabins and a small hiking trail just beyond.

Ron blazed the trail and I took the back of the line. I listened pretty hard for sounds in the woods and I heard them. Because it was a small loop, I didn’t prepare by bringing my bear spray. Even pausing to listen and look I still could not see what was moving through the woods. I didn’t want to get too far behind my own family, but I knew we were not alone. Trudging on, we looped around and found the culprit. A black bear. My life flashed before my eyes and I calmly said, “There is a bear right there. Let’s go.”  

The kids and I walked back to the historical site and our Captain Ron stayed behind to take pictures. It was such a strange reaction and response. The adrenaline rushing through me gave me an instant headache back at the truck. Growing up, I learned to give these wild animals so much space and respect. It’s bizarre to watch people run towards them. Warning them that there’s a bear up ahead only makes them more eager. We saw one more bear before exiting the park and it was a little guy this time. Again tourists were out of their cars and walking towards the small bear taking pictures and spooking it. The bear ran away and that spooked a buck, which ran away, which scared the small bear up a tree. I felt sad for the scared little bear and also wondered if if it was truly alone.  

Back, safe and sound at camp, now I relaxed by the campfire with my two furry & fearless protectors to keep me safe against the squirrels around our site. The kids played at the playground and Ron fished along the river. I loved having the quiet time to listen to the soothing sounds of nature and happy campers in the park. And I needed soothed after my near death experience with the black bears today (I put that part in just for you Ron!! My very own grumpy bear). 

For dinner we prepared a meal that my mom and dad shared with us that is fun to  cook over the campfire and the kids roasted hot dogs. I’m looking forward to heading back into the park tomorrow.  I think I got my fill of black bears today, so I just want to just relax along the beautiful river tomorrow and let the kids and pups play and Ron fish. I will still have my bear spray, though, mom!

Goodnight from Tennessee!