Bears!!!
I'll get to that. This was not where i planned to run that day. It was raining where i had planned so i pivoted to Bells Gap Trail. Wasn't my smartest move ever but didn't know that beforehand. It was hot and humid I was tired and legs were not feeling the greatest. But I was there. Plan was to do the out and back self supported. Only made it one way. From the get go my body was fighting me. It just didn't want to get going. I was stubborn and pushed on since I was there. Kept getting hotter, more drained and overheated. Still kept running. At one point looks like 4.2 miles in i said enough and stopped. Caught my breath for a bit then said I'm done for the day and walked a few steps back towards car then said screw it your going to finish no matter what who cares about time today. So ran on. That little break may have helped reengage. Ran to the turn around point touched the gate took a pic and started back. Somehow managed to beat previous times. Wasn't best day on the trail, as I said body was trying to stop me the whole time as if it didn't want me there. As I started back I walked a few steps as I got out my applesauce electrolyte packet to eat and drank some fluid. When I was done with it I put it back in my waist pack. Looked at my watch and glanced up and thats when things tuned for the worse. One of the worst case scenarios a runner can have in PA if not the worst.
There is a bank on my left. Maybe 20 feet tall but probably close 10-15. Either way bank height is taller than me. As I was moving my head up from looking at my watch. I notice movement in the grass on edge of the bank. As I focused in on movement I saw it was black. For some odd reason at first I was like whats ferral pig doing up here. Then it hit me, it was a bear cub. I stopped dead in my tracks scared out of my mind. As soon as I realized it was a bear cub I know I was in a bad situation. Instantly I was like wheres mother bear, where she at. I knew she had to be around. Directly to my left, exactly in line withe my left shoulder i saw mother bear starring directly at me with a death stare. Eyes pinned back. Less than 20 yards away. We locked eyes. I knew had to get out of the situation and fast. The bear cub was running down the way I had to go to get back to car. There was no way I was running that direction. I 100% believe and felt if I took one more step in that direction mother bear was coming for me. I have no doubts about that. You could feel it between us. I also believe if I didn't see the cub when I did and stopped instantly I would have been attacked. I would have not known they were there. It was only because I just ate that applesauce pouch and looked at watch that upward head movement allowed me to catch a glimpse. If I didn't have that upward movement from looking at watch my vision would have been more focused straight ahead on the trail. Anyway knowing I could I had ot get out of there immediately and could not just stand there the way mother bear was looking at me. I did what your not supposed to do I ran. I know that can trigger an attack as well but was the only move I had at the time. I ran back towards the gate/turnaround point. Looking back the whole time to see if I could see the bear coming. Even puked up the applesauce form the adrenaline and sacarness running through my body. Past the gate say 30 feet is a two lane country road. Knew i had to get there, get help and get off the trail. Wasn't sticking around on the trail nor trying to wait a while and head back down it. Who knows where the bears would have been on trail if I tried to go back down or what kind of mood mother bear would have been in if I get near them again. Plus being all sweaty I would have had a distinctive smell she could have easily picked up and came at me without me ever having a chance to defend myself. By sheer luck the other side of the road there was a young man getting on his bike I yelled at him and he turned and looked he knew something was up said I was frantic. He was super nice and took me back to the trailhead where my car was. I got luckily that he was there. Otherwise I'd have to flag down cars. But I was absolutely scared to death that was first encounter I've had with a mother and cub and I def know mother bear was about to get me. I have no idea if i ran past them on way out they would have been on my right hand side way out and I was looking above the bank would have been hard to see being on the righthand side and not having good angle to see above as I did way back being on opposite side of trail. So who knows. Maybe they were there. It would have been like 3ish mins before I came back thru. This encounter was like 2ish tenths I'd say form turn around.
Needless to say I didn't get to do the out and back only made it one way. Which sucks but as same time the way body felt another 6 miles would have sucked bad. Plus it gave me a good scary story to tell since I made it off trail safe.