Let me preface this with a brief story. My friends and I were tooling around a favorite, but ultra-remote part of the mountains where you have a better chance of talking to angels than getting cell reception. Luckily we know it fairly well at this point, partly because I’d studied a map to make sure we didn’t end up lost (again). On said map, I noticed what looked like an abandoned house hidden in plain sight on the other side of a river.
While we were pulling up to park along the river, a black bear strolled out into the street. My friends, having never seen a bear despite going to the ADK for years and years, proceeded to lose their f$%#ing minds in a fit of excitement. Deliriously happy screaming session ensued in the car. They sat on stones in the river bank to fawn over the experience and wait while I hopscotched across the Hudson to find my house.
I walked through the woods for a while, no discerning path in sight, realizing two things. One, all I could hear was running water — my friends’ excited chatter all but drowned out. My first thought was “They can’t hear me either.” Two, I realized I had no idea what to do if I encountered a black bear while alone in the woods. In my head I heard Carly’s voice echo “They aren’t aggressive,” but hell if I wanted to find that out firsthand.
I just so happened to have pepper spray on me, and it made me feel better. I’m a baby. Leave me alone.
Shooting remote places is my absolute favorite. I know it’s idyllic to be away from prying eyes and other people, but for me it’s more of an almost meditative experience to shoot decay surrounded by nothing except nature. It’s very peaceful. Minus, you know, briefly worrying about bears.
This house is caving in on itself, sliding down an embankment into the river and basically sideways. Half the floors are gone. A shame, because what’s left of it is beautiful. A sight lost to everybody except Mother Nature and over-curious people with maps. And bears.
With that, this special house and I parted ways. I stashed my camera and hopped stones back across the river to my friends, who couldn’t wait until we got back to cell reception to tell everyone about the bear.
And we had other places to explore that day.
Nice – and thankful we are both slight and can explore in relative safety on the old floors in these places…
Thanks, and yes — luckily we have that advantage. You can’t see it, but I was actually lying on the floor for the shot of the kitchen. It was so slanted as it caved in.
Great images, what a fantastic place. We don’t have many sightings of Black Bears in the uk ! :>)
Thank you! They are actually super cute. A little frightening, but cute. 😀