This story was about the late summer of 43.

I was at Camp Tecumseh, out side of Center Harbor, On Lake Winipesauke. The Best campers got to go climb Mt Moosalauke. I knew the area well, so I started up the trail while the others were waiting on the last car to arrive. The day was wonderful, bright and sunny. The bushes were full of raspberries, and blackberries. The trail was cut into a steep hillside, but turning constantly, so that you could not see far ahead.

I was just enjoying the mountain view, and climbing right along, when suddenly I turned a corner, and there at the next turn, which he had just rounded, was a huge brown bear, His jaws were streaming with berry juice. And so were his front paws. He was moving along on his hind legs, when we both spotted each other. I wanted to go up, and he wanted to go down and get his berries. I stood there, very still, I didn't feel afraid at all, but I wondered what the bear was going to do. I know the bear was aware that I had no fear, because if he did, he would have attacked me. Finally he saw that I was not going to back down, and he slowly climbed the mountainside, until he was about 10 yards above, and then he began to traverse the mountainside. I watched him very carefully; I didn't want a bear suddenly attacking from above. He was watching me just as closely, and when he was a safe distance, he returned to the trail, looked back at me, and then proceeded to eat berries until he was out of sight.

When the rest of the party joined me at the top, I asked them if they had seen the bear? No, but there was plenty of sign. What sign, I asked, Oh, some bear had been on the trail, because he had left plenty of raspberry jam piles in the trail. I guess one kid was enough, he stayed out of sight after that.

Again that bear and I had communicated with each other on a non-verbal level.