Hairy John and the 5 Bears

September 13th, 2013

Hairy John and the 5 Bears
Woodward, PA
Adventure Type: Hiking, Camping

I began the trek from Hairy John picnic area in the early afternoon. The hike started relatively flat and led through a pine thicket into more open, rocky terrain. I passed by an old logging road with an interesting teepee like structure.

Once at the base of the Winkelblech Mountain, it became apparent that the ascent was not for the weak-hearted. While the climb was relatively short, it was steep at times and extremely rocky. I did not touch the ground, instead bounding from rock to rock, until I nearly reached the summit.



Once atop Winkelblech, the terrain leveled out nicely and the trail was mostly a soft bed of deteriorating leaves. Here, the Hairy John trail met the Winkelblech trail and Mid State trail. I turned eastward and continued on the Mid State trail.

Very shortly after this intersection, a small camp ground was nestled in the fallen branches and rocks. I stopped for a quick lunch, roasting a veal sirloin over a fire and tossing a fresh bone to the dog.

Continuing onward, I reached another intersection and followed the Mid State trail down the other side of the mountain toward R. B. Winter State Park. The descent was much less rocky than the climb up. The cooler, north side of the mountain harbored small streams and moss bordered trail. In the valley, I reached Stony Run Road and the Cinder Pile Spring, where I refilled water jugs and continued down the road.

Not far from the spring, the trail again set foot up a mountain. The ascent was steep and gravelly. Once the trail leveled out, it was thickly lined with young mountain laurel. Approximately half way across the Buffalo Mountain ridge sat a very welcoming campground. Craving a longer hike, I left my pack, trekked down the other side of the mountain then back up just in time to set up camp for dinner. 

As I settled into the camp and familiarized myself with the surroundings, it became clear that some sort of animal run came directly through the site. Figuring it was due to small animal traffic, I put the thought in the back of my mind and curled up with the dog for a hopefully peaceful night of rest.

Two hours after dozing off, the dog sounded her alarm and I awoke to the snorts and grunts of a bear trying to scare us off. I immediately put on my hiking boots and headlamp and went out to defend the dog with what little I had, my walking stick and a small knife. I hollered and threatened the bear to back down, and to my luck, he immediately scurried up a nearby tree. The dog, mistaking my hollering as scolding, hunkered behind me in fear. I gave her a pat on the head and after trying to relax for several minutes finally untied my boots and went back into my sleeping bag.

As soon as I dozed off, the dog went off again and I heard more gruff snorts from a nearby thicket. I jumped out of the tent, hollered and made a racket until finally I could no longer hear its grunts. I wondered if I had set up camp in a bears territory and would have to fight him off all night, but the silence grew deeper and I again dozed off.

The rest of the night was a continuation of earlier events. Like clockwork, every two hours, a bear interrupted my sleep and threatened to attack the dog. Finally the sun began to rise and I was starting to feel safe enough to sleep again when the dog suddenly ran full speed into the brush, ready to attack whatever was there. Unfortunately, it was a porcupine. The dog was so worked up from the evening that she killed the poor creature and ended up wounding herself severely with the quills. So severely in fact, that she could not walk more than a few yards from the camp, which was, by now, surrounded by five young bears sleeping in the trees.

I tried carrying her and putting her in my pack, but she was too heavy and too big for my 1970s steel frame.  My phone had died from the nearly freezing temperatures of the night  before, so I had to leave her. I waited for the bears to scurry away and re-pitched the tent. I left her inside and ran back to my Jeep to grab help and a larger pack to carry her down.


All in all, if you decide to hike up the Hairy John and Mid State trail for a small, backpacking adventure, keep going once you hit Buffalo Mountain unless you want to experience a night with the bears.