No Bears

I elected to go fishing today.  Heading offshore Nova Scotia in S61s and then Super Pumas in the early 2000's, I was always scouting for prime fishing spots. I eventually discovered a little series of remote and quaint streams that looked accessible from abandoned logging roads, so in my trusty Subaru Forester, a compass (I'm partial to the Cammenga Tritium Military compass), some google map printouts, and a few miles of boot leather, I found some very prime speckled trout fly fishing holes that were relatively untouched (sometimes they aren't going for the flies or it's too windy to bother so I cheat and use a spin rod). A lot of trout found it's way into a cast iron pan of hot butter and then onto our plates from those fishing holes, but not without some adventure.  Typically I'd go by myself, driving about an hour into this very remote spot via abandoned logging roads, then I'd hike another thirty minutes to the first hole, so as you can imagine, I'm quite exposed.  I noted all the white tail deer tracks in the mud on the hike in, but was a little concerned about the fresh bear tracks on the hike out.  Now black bears in Canada are generally not any trouble, but having been charged twice, I'm a tad wary.  Next time in I took some bear spray.  So imagine here I am, wearing chest waders and deep in one of the pools, teasing the trout with flies and having a great time, when into the brush in front of me waddles the biggest black bear I've ever seen.  He doesn't seem at all concerned about me, he just starts tearing up the rotting log about thirty feet inland from my fishing spot digging for grubs.  Maybe he doesn't know I'm there so I start singing.  He doesn't care.  I can't really focus on the fishing with this beast so close by and me so exposed, and I have to get by him to get out, so it's a stressful day out but I eventually get back to my car uneaten.  I run into this bear at least twice more before I decide I ain't going in there alone anymore.  During bear season, which coincides pretty much with white tail deer season in Nova Scotia, I figured there's some meat to stock the freezer, but with a 30-06 in hand, I never did see that bear, only his tracks.  For those of you that haven't tried bear meat, it's a gamy acquired taste, best roasted with lots of cloves and all the fat removed.  If you can get bears from areas where all they eat are blueberries, it's a little better, but my family was never overly fond of bear roasts.  Regardless, I never did get that bear, and he never got me either, but feeling a little ballsy, that's where I went fishing today, no 30-06 but I did have some bear spray handy.

If you don't mind, I'll do a quick plug of my rather awesome Courteney Safari boots that gets me into and out of all these remote spots.  These bad boys are handmade in Zimbabwe with tough Cape Buffalo hides with impala trim, and tire tread soles that don't quit.  Toughest most comfortable boots I ever had, and africansportingcreations.com in the states sells them too so you don't have to go all the way to Zimbabwe, although I'd highly recommend the place.  Think Selous Scouts footwear.  I've actually got a request in for a pair in black so I can use them as my flying boots......

Well, there is not much information coming out of Turkey on just why my VISA application is in process for well over a month now, nor why holding a resident permit in Turkey in 2011 is complicating matters as much as they are, but I am getting frustrated.  Having managed an operation in Turkey for most of 2011, and the exportation of two Super Pumas and an entire base, up to another job based in Romania, I am well versed in Turkish bureaucracy, but come on guys....it's beginning to look like I'll be missing this job completely over VISA hangups.  But, I do have a fresh Gabon VISA in my passport, and I have been missing Africa......