I spent a summer working in the brooks range. Exploration drilling for minerals and we were flying drill rigs into remote locations. I was running the project and spent an immense amount of time out by myself running water line and tending pumps. They frowned upon it but somewhat allowed us to carry firearms so I always had my 44 mag strapped on. Had quite a few encounters with black bears that year. The most memorable was during a term we had with a nervous rookie pilot that accidentally punched off his long line in a nasty, overgrown swamp in the middle of a rig move. The helicopter contractor did not have a spare line at camp and we were looking at being down for several days without it so he searched from the air and myself, along with the crew, spread out in the swamp trying to find it. An hour or so in, I was easing along searching and happened apon a sow with two cubs inside 20yds... the cubs shinnied up a tree and she proceeded to raise holy hell! Woofing, bluff charging and clacking her teeth. I drew my pistol immediately and started yelling obscenities at the top of my lungs. Beings that I was running the project on native land with a sensitive client and only 23yrs old at the time, (my first job as a supervisor) I was determined to get out of the situation without killing the bear. Every step back she'd try and charge. I'd have to scream bloody murder and take the slack back out of the trigger to get her to stop. Finally got out of that mess unscathed but you can bet I'll never forget it. We gave up the search and had to wait four days for a new line to make it to camp. I just about wrang the neck of that idiot pilot...
