Today, we would be leaving Forillon National Park and return to Rivière-du-Loup, so at 9:00pm, after packing up, our long car ride began.
At 10:00pm, my dad had decided to visit a trail in Forillon on our way out. There was nothing special about this trail and I was complaining about it being a waste of time before I spotted a black bear a hundred metres away! I immediately bolted off the van with my camera and took a photo as fast as I could before the black bear disappeared into the forest. Because I was at least a hundred metres away (Black Bear country rules state that tourists must stay at least a hundred metres away), my photo seemed very vague and blurry. Without thinking, I ran forward with my dad hot on my heels and right to the spot in which the bear had disappeared into the forest. I searched the dense vegetation for the black bear, but to no avail. Then, my eyes locked onto two orange beads staring back at me about two metres in front of me. My brain froze for a split-second to take the whole situation in and in the next second, I realized that the black bear was standing less than an arm’s length from my face (no exaggeration at all)! I realized that I was staring the black bear down (something you are prohibited from doing) and my mind suddenly went blank. All of a sudden, realizing the danger, the black bear growled and appeared to leap forward. I backed away as fast as I could and avoided possible death (if the bear had lunged and attacked me, I would have been mauled). I thought that the bear was going to chase us, but thankfully, it wasn’t a mother. As I walked back to my van, I realized that I might have had the closest encounter with a black bear in the history of Forillon (face to face) and that I was extremely lucky that the bear did not attack me. According to the Black Bear Safety section of my Forillon National Park map, never look a black bear in the eye, never startle a black bear, always stay one hundred metres away from a black bear, and I had disobeyed ALL THREE RULES!!!
My excitement slowly died down over the few hours after my black bear encounter. As we drove back to Rivière-du-Loup, I noticed that the landscape was similar to that of Cape Breton Highlands. Then, I realized that the Appalachian Mountain range covered both Cape Breton Highlands and Gaspe Peninsula, explaining the similarities in the scenery.
At 5:00pm, we returned to our starting point; Rivière-du-Loup. This time, we settled into the campground that was adjacent to the motel that we stayed in on the first day. After unpacking, I took a long and well-needed shower in the clean washroom (this campground was also private, but the showers were free)! At 7:30pm, our campsite was attacked by the most vicious and horrible mosquitoes I had ever encountered. There were literally mosquitoes flying everywhere! Then, I remembered that there was a petting zoo in the campground, which explains the infestation of mosquitoes at our campsite. After a hard-fought battle against the mosquitoes, I entered the tent at 8:30 to attend to my wounds. My dad told me that I should go to sleep because tomorrow, we would be heading home. I was too tired to disobey his commands and thus at 9:00pm, I fell asleep for the last time on this trip...
As I was drifting off into my dream, I recounted all the memories and fun I had over the past two weeks. From the fun at Hopewell Rocks and the bear and moose encounters, I thought that this was the best trip I had ever experienced in my entire life, but then I remembered what was in store for me next year; my parents would be taking me on a journey to Banff!!!
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| An authentic photo of a black bear |
My excitement slowly died down over the few hours after my black bear encounter. As we drove back to Rivière-du-Loup, I noticed that the landscape was similar to that of Cape Breton Highlands. Then, I realized that the Appalachian Mountain range covered both Cape Breton Highlands and Gaspe Peninsula, explaining the similarities in the scenery.
At 5:00pm, we returned to our starting point; Rivière-du-Loup. This time, we settled into the campground that was adjacent to the motel that we stayed in on the first day. After unpacking, I took a long and well-needed shower in the clean washroom (this campground was also private, but the showers were free)! At 7:30pm, our campsite was attacked by the most vicious and horrible mosquitoes I had ever encountered. There were literally mosquitoes flying everywhere! Then, I remembered that there was a petting zoo in the campground, which explains the infestation of mosquitoes at our campsite. After a hard-fought battle against the mosquitoes, I entered the tent at 8:30 to attend to my wounds. My dad told me that I should go to sleep because tomorrow, we would be heading home. I was too tired to disobey his commands and thus at 9:00pm, I fell asleep for the last time on this trip...
As I was drifting off into my dream, I recounted all the memories and fun I had over the past two weeks. From the fun at Hopewell Rocks and the bear and moose encounters, I thought that this was the best trip I had ever experienced in my entire life, but then I remembered what was in store for me next year; my parents would be taking me on a journey to Banff!!!
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