John Hiker

Peek a Boo Bear on the Appalachian Trail John Hiker

While hiking the Appalachian Trail through the Shenandoah National Forest, I had a sudden feeling that someone or something was watching me. I stopped and scanned the forest and caught a flicker of movement near a fallen log. At first, only the tip of a fuzzy ear appeared, followed slowly by a face - of a cute little bear cub. He peeked at me from behind the log before ducking out of sight. After a pause, he reappeared, this time farther down the log. I laughed and carried on, but as I hiked, I started to form a story about that little bear that I could tell my grandchildren when I returned home. Peek a Boo Bear on the Appalachian Trail is my story. They gave me the name Papa Bear when I told them the story.