On my way in to work this morning, I came upon a large adult bear, ambling across Old Clifton Road. By the time a could pull over and grab my camera, he or she had already changed direction and headed back into the woods northwest of the county’s Juvenile Detention Center.
For all the Kitsap Sun has written about bears (and here, and here) and for all the walks I’ve taken in local woods, I had never actually seen one. Dang, they’re big!
I heard it crashing through the woods and thought (briefly) about going after it, but intrepid reporter though I like to think I am, common sense kicked it. Besides, I wasn’t wearing my running shoes. And besides, running shoes wouldn’t have helped if I had needed them.
Bear sightings are fairly common here on the Kitsap Peninsula (we actually just heard on scanner of a mother and three cubs somewhere in Port Orchard). But that doesn’t seem to diminish the sense of wonder (and healthy respect) we have for bears.
OK, I’m muscling in on Grimley’s beat, so I’ll butt out now.
Chris Henry, reporter
