Back in the 70s, camping in the Great Smoky Mountains meant be prepared for BEARS!

When Jimmy and I first started camping in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the greatest attraction for us was the beauty, the peacefulness and the bears.  My only experience with the Smokys in traveling with my parents had been one day trip from Knoxville where we saw a couple of bears along the side of the road causing a “bear jam” of cars and family photographers snapping souvenir shots of the bewildered bear.  I had no idea that camping overnight in the parks campgrounds could bring me face to face with multiple bears every evening and, sometimes, in the morning as we sipped our coffee.

Jimmy and I were young and camped in our bargain canvas tent sleeping on the hard ground.  Jimmy had camped many times with his family as a kid in these very same camp grounds and he knew “the drill”.  1. Eat your evening meal before sunset.  2. Lock your ice chest in your car between meals.  3. Leave no food on your picnic table at night (unless you are seeking bear-type visitors). 4. Never, never eat or keep food inside your tent.  He told me that I would get an advanced warning when bears were in camp because I would hear other campers banging on pots and pans to scare the bears away.  It did not occur to my naïve mind that I might possible be that first person who spotted the bear approaching.

Bear on the side of the road.  Not a good idea for these folks.  Original photo in possession of author.

Black Bear at Smokemont Campground. Original photo in possession of author.
 

Bear on top of picnic table.  Original photo in possession of author.

The bears that make the Smoky Mountains their playground are Black Bears.  They are smaller than the Grizzly bears found in the Rockies and Alaska.  Their smaller size does not mean smaller danger.  They have great strength, long claws and sharp teeth embedded in strong jaws.  The park visitor center has displays of the dangers and damage done by bears to items like lunch boxes, etc.  I knew this was not a petting zoo experience.  But I was excited to see the creatures moving around the tents.

 

 

 

Over several years of camping in the Smokys, Jimmy and I experienced several memorable bear encounters which we attempted to record on film.  That was not easy to do considering the fur color against the blackness of the late night campground.  Sometimes you have to look closely at our old photos to make out the shape.  But we did get a few shots for the album.  Fortunately, the snapshots of the moments that make up memories don’t need Photoshop to make the image clearer.

Once we watched a bear open a jar of jelly someone had left on a table.  The bear lay on top of the picnic table on his back with the jar in his paws and the lid in his jaws.  He clamped down on the lid and rotated the jar in his paws.  The lid was soon history and his tongue scooped out the jelly all the way to the bottom of the jar. 

Another time we watched a man who did not believe the advice given him by seasoned campers about eating before sunset.  The man set out his Coleman stove and proceeded to fry chicken for his family.  I know the aroma was like ringing a dinner bell for the bears already spotted in camp.  The man was so intent in preparing the meal that he did not notice the bear approaching.  The bear quietly climbed on the table bench and sat waiting for his supper.  The man placed the chicken on a plate and as he sat the plate on the table, he noticed the bear.  The man screamed, grabbed his Coleman stove and ran inside his camper on the back of his pickup truck.  I think he broke all the rules that night. True Story!

Once we arrived back at camp after a day of sightseeing too late to eat before sunset.  I had a migraine and Jimmy said he would prepare a quick meal of hotdogs before the bears came around.  I laid down in the camper to rest (we had upgraded by then).  Within minutes Jimmy was sticking his head in the door of the camper announcing that we had to go back into town to get some supper.  The bear had enjoyed the hotdogs that were meant for us.   

I don’t think that bear encounters are as numerous now as they were back in the 70s when we were a young couple looking for a fun, inexpensive vacation.  I don’t know if the bear population is dwindling or if the rangers are keeping the bear population and the human population separated.  My last visit to the park about ten years ago did not produce even one bear sighting.  I am glad I have the memories.