The Bear or The Man?

The summer of 2024 led to a passionate debate on social media. If you were alone in the woods, would you rather encounter a bear or a man?

I heard this proposition in passing, vaguely thinking about my answer at the time. Our gut reaction is to be fearful of predators. When we picture a predator, an image of a large vicious animal comes to mind. However, the longer we ponder this question the more we reflect on our experience as human beings. Some may never see a wild bear in their lifetime; we observe male human behavior every day. What would an unknown man make of us when they find us alone in the woods?

In September, I solo hiked with my dog in Squamish. I followed the town’s path into a nearby preserve, where posters warned of black bear sightings. I slowly walked the trail on alert, easing my mind with repetitive thoughts that I hike often and haven’t spotted a bear before. I turned a corner and the warnings rang true. A 300 pound creature blocked my path. I fell into step with recommended guidelines: face the bear, avoid eye contact, and make noise. I backed away with firm assurance that I meant no harm. I quickened my pass once out of eyesight and headed back down the desolate path towards town.

One month later, I went on a hike with a girlfriend at McKinney Falls State Park in Austin, Texas. Our Airbnb was close to the park, so near the end of our walk we pivoted to a well worn path headed towards the local neighborhood. About 40 feet in, we encountered a man with his back towards us. His pants were lowered, his genitalia was exposed. “Oh!” I exclaimed as we turned our backs towards him. Our thoughts innocently went to “maybe he was just peeing” as we walked back towards the main trail. He trailed us out 30 second later. I muttered “sorry!” as we tend to say as women when the fault was not ours. He looked at us and smiled, confidently stating “would you girls like to join me?”. There were no signs to warn of this encounter, no education posted on trees directing us on how best to react to this man in the woods. We stated firm “no’s”, facing him with large sticks in our hands until he walked the other way. What may have happened if I was alone?

I sit in reflective thought as I relive these two encounter, taking place one month apart, the year of the online debate.

Who would I choose to face again, the bear or the man?