It was from May 2020, in the middle of the pandemic. There was no one around, literally anyone anywhere in the paths.
I worked as a full -time trauma nurse. People could not even imagine the things we saw every day, all day. I lived and breathed. If I had to work on a 12 -hour shift, I would get up at 3 in the morning, I would run 16 miles before work, I would go to work and then sometimes run on the running tape or go to the path.
Between Rock is a series of Los Angeles Times that shares California desert survival stories.
At that time, I was training for an ultra marathon, Barkley Fall Classic, in September. My friend and I always used to run together. I was deepening the miles and she was relaxing more. She had nothing for what she was training.
I said: “Hey, I'm going to my path.” It is not a very long path, but it is a challenge because it has roots and rocks and all kinds of different things that could present a problem if you are not accustomed.
“I don't think you should go,” he said. “It's late on day. Usually, you won't go at this time. Nobody will know where you are. You just don't go.”
“I have executed this path one million times,” I said. “What is the worst thing that could happen? Do you eat a bear?”
We laugh. Who knew?
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What to do if you see a bear
It is because of Miller Canyon OHV in Silverwood Lake. I took a bit of a different path than I would normally take, since I wanted to get out of there before dusk.
There is a specific place along the path that has very good access to this free flow stream. I thought, I really want to get to this place because it is very picturesque, and I just need that mental relaxation.
And so, I am walking along this path. I am approximately a quarter of a mile, and I'm just gathering my thoughts. Something told me to look up. In the middle of the road forward there was this huge bear.
He visto osos negros de Yosemite. They are a bit small. This was not that.
“I thought for myself, 'I'm going to take a photo because at least if my phone is recovered, they will know what happened.'”
Instantly I panicked. I looked around to see if there was something that could climb or a rock that I could launch. There was nothing. His first animal instinct is to turn and run, but he had read several articles about the escape of wildlife and what to do in those situations, and [those] He said he does not run because you will activate that driving of dams.
My next thought was: “I will never see my children again. Nobody will know what happened. They will simply find my bones, perhaps, eventually if they are lucky,” and I am sweating profusely right now, and I am so terror. Of course, this is within a period of 10 seconds, I am processing and thinking all this.
The loaded bear. He is running with all his strength. I can see fat throughout your body simply trembling. I had no weapon. There was no cell reception where I was. I tried to activate the emergency lighthouse on my watch. No. It would not be activated. They separated me from the world.
I thought for myself: “I'm going to take a photo because at least if my phone is recovered, they will know what happened.”
I have been a dedicated fan for a type of vest in operation, for some reasons, but the main reason why I will always buy this vest is because it has this small plastic safety whistle that comes with each vest. I started blowing that whistle as strong as if my life depended on it. The bear stopped running. He surprised him. Now he is walking towards me.
If I had come down because of the original way in which I usually run every time, I believe that I would have surprised the bear because it came out from where I really directed me. I almost feel it was a divine intervention. Something told me not so that night.
[The bear] I was probably 200 feet of me. I still had my Strava and my Garmin at that time. I walked back while blowing this whistle, to the point of pain in my ears, a quarter of a mile until the beginning of the path while that mass bear followed me. I got into my car and I could still see the bear ahead. I was in ruins.
I thought I was going to kill me. I still see it in my mind as if it were yesterday. I was 100% convinced that I was going to die.
I don't know why it was loaded. That is my only question. I contacted Fish & Game, and said: “That is a very unusual behavior. We don't know why I would have done it. Usually, bears will take off when they see people.”
I think maybe I surprised him, and then, when I blow the whistle, I safely He surprised him, and I think he was curious at that time.
[My running partner] I thought I was lying at the beginning. She was like, “in no way.” I sent him the photo. She says: “You get it in the universe!” I was like, you know what? I did not manifest to that bear.
The most important thing [I learned] It was to make sure that someone always has a copy or knows their route location. You want to tell at least one or two people where you trust where it will be, what time it goes, your estimated completion time. Send a photo of yours and what you wear. Incluso todavía hago eso, incluso si voy a un lugar más poblado.
A selfie that Bethany Pinedo took the day a bear chased her while she was on a run near Silverwood Lake. (Bethany Pinedo) A large bear walks toward a trail runner who came upon it on a path near Silverwood Lake in May 2020. (Bethany Pinedo) A large bear walks toward a trail runner who came upon it on a path near Silverwood Lake in May 2020. (Bethany Pinedo)
I have some bear spray now. If I’m going somewhere that’s really remote, especially if I’m solo, I’m going to bring it with me.
And I think the big one for me — sunset and sunrise, I avoid those times.
I know this is going to make me sound nuts, but I went back and ran that same spot the next day.
I was terrified, I was so on edge the whole time, but I thought, “I can’t let this own me because then this is going to ruin the outdoors for me. I need to make myself go back out. It’s probably a once-in-a-lifetime encounter, and I need to go back out and do what I love. I can’t let this stop me.”
I went at 9:30 in the morning, and running trails, I usually avoid sunup and sundown (because) that’s when wildlife tends to be out. [ The evening before] I wanted to train to simulate possible situations of the day of the race, which could be running in the dark, or I am running very early, or I am running in an unknown terrain. But I said: “Forget [that]I am running when I usually run because I am not worth it. ”
When I returned a week later, they had published signs on the bears in the area. Apparently, I should not have been the only one.
I kept coming back and I never came across that. I've been to all these mountains. A mountain lion growled immediately, but I still couldn't see it. I have found a mobile cat here and there, packages of coyotes and deer, but that was the first bear.
The old I would never have returned, but I told myself: “You are an adult, and if this is something that you are passionate about, you have to face those challenges, whatever. You can't let it reduce your love for sport.”
You have to overcome your fear. You can't let something possess you because of what could happen. There will always be the “what would happen if” in life, and you have to face that.
From where he lived, he was the closest and accessible path. It's lovely. It is picturesque. It is as if you were in another world. It is the type of place that is absolutely charming.
A place where I ran, was covered with ferns and vines, and when I reached the end where the water falls on these rocks, wherever I looked, every centimeter of space was covered with baby frogs. It was the most incredible moment he had on a path. None of the other paths that I run has seen so, I had this, so I really love there.
Bethany Pinedo is a nurse, Avida Corredora and former south of California. He was running near the Silverwood Lake state recreation area. About three weeks ago, officials issued a warning For that area due to a significant increase in the recent sightings of bears and interactions with humans. Pinedo plans to go.
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