Miami Native In Alaska
Mandy only wanted to help the unfortunate soul caught in the awful December blizzard when she decided to invite the man into her home.
But as the night wore on, she heard a deafening noise from her cabin. She knew she should have locked her door and called the police, yet she still stepped out of her room. What she saw made her blood run cold.
Missing Home
Mindy Harris Sheeran was a typical twenty-seven-year-old woman living on the edge of a small town in Alaska. She made a name for herself as an introverted graduate student studying botany who only came out of her came when she needed to.
Mindy, however, was anything but an introvert. Since she was a native of Miami, Florida, she wasn’t used to the harsh Alaskan weather that struck in December. She would discover that night that there are more things to be scared of than the weather.
Brewing Up A Blizzard
Mindy relocated to Alaska to research indigenous North American plant life. She was gathering information for her paper and reasoned that it would be best to get everything directly from the source.
She lived there for five months before she felt affected by the environment. In the beginning, she found the blizzards and chilling temperatures charming. However, she began missing home as the months passed, and everything seemed to bother her. That is, up until she met him.
Waving Hello
She was reading the day’s newspaper and sipping hot cocoa on her porch when she spotted the elderly man shuffling across the street. The snow was piled high since it had been snowing heavily that day.
But the man continued pushing through it, clearly absorbed in his thoughts. Mindy knew a blizzard was coming in thanks to the day’s weather report, so she decided to do something she had never done since moving to Alaska.
Getting To Know Klaus
With a lift of her cup, Mindy waved hello to the man and called out to him. When he waved back, she extended him an invitation into her home, insisting that he shouldn’t be outside in the freezing weather.
Klaus, the elderly man, was also new to the area. Although he had positive interactions with Mindy throughout the evening, what happened that night, later on would give her nightmares for years.
Hours Later
Mindy had only planned for Klaus to shelter from the blizzard for the evening. However, the night soon fell onto the town, and the storm was still raging on, so she told him to get comfortable. She arranged a spot on the couch for Klaus since her cabin had only one bedroom.
After dinner, the two talked for hours, with Klaus recalling his days as a military officer and Mindy describing her research to him. Even though Mindy would go to bed, the night would just be beginning for her.
Security Camera Footage
A few hours after midnight, she was jolted out of her dream by a loud thud. She jerked to her feet upright and pulled her blankets up to her chest, wondering what was going on.
She quickly checked the security cameras on her laptop. She had never anticipated using them. She was now standing there, staring at them and praying everything was alright.
He Knows About The Cameras
She tilted her head to the side as the front door camera captured a movement. Mindy fiddled with the buttons and rewound the clip as she saw an older man rush past the porch.
Mindy wondered- is that Klaus? She felt her heartbeat accelerate. She jumped for her baseball bat as something more terrifying happened after that.
What Is Going On?
Klaus once more approached the camera, paused, and looked directly into the lens. The next camera captured him running to Mindy’s room as he entered the house.
Mindy fought back the tears. Despite having no idea what was happening, she realized she needed to lock her door and contact the police. Was the man she had previously helped out to harm her?
Going Out
Mindy grabbed her phone and dialed 911. Klaus yelled from the other side of the door as she finished her explanation to the communicator.
Mindy had never heard anything as agonizing as the man’s scream, and she thought he must have been hurt. She observed him moving slowly through the living room as she checked the feed from her camera. He was running from something in a hurry.
A Deep Growl
Mindy opened her door against every nerve in her body and sneaked out of her room. She slipped through the darkness of her cabin’s corridor, making it to her living room door.
But she didn’t find Klaus there, only the front door opened ajar and the rowdy winds blowing into the house. Not knowing what to make of the situation, Mindy gripped her bat tighter. She was about to take another step when she heard it.
Cold Terror
The growl was deep, reverberating through Mindy’s body with a crippling command. She cried as a dark figure came through the open door, snarling louder than the winds outside.
Mindy froze in place as she realized what was in her living room. The creature had white fur, massive fangs, and claws as long as the knives in her kitchen. It roared, and she knew she’d never see the light of day again.
He Comes To Help
A Polar bear. Cold terror rushed through Mindy’s body, flash-freezing her veins before settling in the pits of her stomach. She was about to scream when Klaus charged back into the room, spraying an orange canister into the bear’s snout.
The beast reeled back, bellowing as it turned tail and stormed out of the cabin. Klaus sprayed after it, banging the door and locking it tight. But the night was far from over.
An Experience To Remember
Klaus rushed to the kitchen, spraying the door before locking it. It took Mindy a few minutes to recover before realizing the man had a bleeding gash on his shoulder.
She ran for her first aid kit and sat to help him. She’d seen several movies and documentaries about polar bears. She never thought she’d live to be attacked by one. As she dressed in Klaus’s wound, he explained everything to her.
Learn All You Can
Klaus revealed that he was part of Alaska’s wildlife service. He was in town tracking a polar bear that the locals had reported before the blizzard forced him to take a break. What were the chances that the same beast snuck into Mindy’s kitchen and woke him up?
He’d lured it out of the house before it mauled his shoulder, almost killing him. The police soon came, and although the wildlife service would catch the bear, the incident would be forever etched in Mindy’s brain. She’d need to acquaint herself with the Alaskan wild before venturing back out there.
The Bears Of North America
Mindy began extensive research about bears in the region. Even though she was a biologist, her study had never sent her down this path. It was time that changed.
The more she uncovered, the more scared and calm she got. Although terrifying at some junctures, her findings were eye-opening and entertaining. She found herself relaxing when she truly understood how each bear species operates.
Where Are They Found?
There are eight bear species globally, three native to North America. These are fuzzy and cuddly at first sight, with the thickest build anyone can wish for.
But they will tear you into shreds in mere seconds, especially when agitated. But some, like the polar bear, which Mindy encountered, will throw down even without being provoked.
The Statistics
Polar bears are unique to the Arctic circle but can be found wandering south toward the wilds of Alaska. Their numbers are dwindling, mainly owing to global warming destroying their habitats.
Bears live on the ice caps up north, but with the constant temperature rise, these habitats are melting, resulting in them losing their home.
How To Deal With Them
Their number is currently between twenty and thirty-one thousand worldwide, a genuine far cry from how many they were before the industrial revolution and the onset of global warming.
Most polar bears are migrating south to escape the rising ocean levels in the cold north. It is no surprise that Mindy and Klaus found one lurking inside the house.
Grizzlies
Common knowledge among the community members where Mindy lives is that black and brown bears, the other two species of North American native bears, can be dealt with if one is knowledgeable enough.
For black bears, don’t try to play dead. You will be delivering them a free win. Flee to a secure place. If that’s not an option, fight. Focus your kicks and blows on the animal’s muzzle and face. This is different for brown bears.
Faster Than A Cat At 3 AM
Brown bears, also known as grizzlies, are usually bigger than black and polar bears. But their size does not mean they are not fast or great climbers and swimmers.
The best way to win against such a massive fiend, with claws that can easily transport your insides to your outsides, is to do nothing. Yes, play dead, and play it as if your life depends on it because it does.
It’s All About Speed
Brown bears are very fast, so running away from them is ill-advised. They also love the chase and will not stop until they have you.
By playing dead with your backpack on and your hands protecting your neck, you’ll be able to stave it off. A few miles south of where Mindy’s polar bear scare took place, a similar event occurred. But this one involved a grizzly and a very unlucky mountain biker.
His Trade
The average speed for a mountain biker is 10 miles per hour. A grizzly bear can run five times faster than this when highly motivated.
The cyclist in this story was a tourist looking to take in the forest sights in the wee hours of the morning before joining his friends for breakfast. What he found in the woods gave him many sleepless nights.
A Different Morning
Pierre had been cycling for more than a decade before he found himself racing for his life in that forest. A professional biker across numerous biking sports, he loved cross-country biking.
But as he and his friends were visiting the wild, remote corners of Alaska, they packed mountain bikes, ready to see what the great outdoors offered.
Enjoying The Wild
The morning of the incident was a different one for Pierre. Most of his friends insisted on taking their bicycle ride after breakfast.
Given that Pierre had formed a habit of going out to ride before breakfast, he bade them goodbye and cycled off. He had no idea what awaited him in the green Alaskan forest.
The Chase Begins
Thirty minutes into his ride, Pierre took a slight pause and enjoyed the rolling green hills in the vista ahead. He took off his helmet and stepped off his peddle.
The sun was already up, and the air was fresh. Pierre closed his eyes to enjoy the mellowing quiet around him. But what his ears caught made him jump back on his bike.
Only A Matter Of Time
The roar was ground shaking, gripping Pierre with a ferocity he never thought possible. His first instinct was to jump back on his bike and begin pedaling.
Without a wasted thought, Pierre flew back on the path he had been taking before stopping. Glancing back as he pedaled, he saw a massive brown bear barreling toward him, inching closer by the second.
He Stops
Knowing how fast brown bears were, it was only a matter of time before the big ball of fuzz and ferociousness caught up to him.
He leaned forward on his bike, tightening his fingers around the grip as he raced down the dirt path. The bear continued coming after him, the gap between them reducing. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the worst happened.
I Count Six Shots
A large felled tree trunk appeared before Pierre. One look at it, and he knew he couldn’t jump over it. Stopping would mean the bear would have a field day with him.
Knowing he couldn’t jump the felled tree, Pierre braked before it, hoping to pick up his bike and hop back on. But it was too late.
The bear had caught on to him. But as it pounced, a gunshot rang, startling the creature. Pierre took that as a sign and ran toward the sound of the gun.
The bear didn’t pursue as more gunshots sounded. The hunters who had saved Pierre took him to their safety, getting him home without a scratch. If only he lay down and pretended to be dead in the first place.