“Now this is bear country!”

I’ve become very familiar with this phrase over the past few days. On the one hand it fills me with excitement, especially when we’re travelling in the safety of a vehicle, but in different circumstances it makes my heart race and my eyes scan left and right of the track for any movement. Inevitably I move closer to my hiking companion, who has already told me to “keep up” because I might have to reach for the bear spray!

We arrived in Canada four days ago and after kind friends welcomed us at the airport, we took possession of a camper van. This is a first for us Farmers. We nearly didn’t make it after our bargain flight back was cancelled and then our flight out delayed by 24 hours, but finally we’re here, all set to take on the Canadian Rockies and head into ‘bear country’.

We are camper van virgins so there were things to learn. For a start they’re called RVs here and there’s quite a bit to take in. A tour of the van in light drizzle revealed new lingo, such as ‘grey’ and ‘black’ water, all kinds of shelves and doors containing cupboards and a toilet, plus endless places where even someone my size could bang their head at least 3 times a day – ouch!

After a bemused food shopping trip and a tussle with a faulty air tyre machine, we set off. Only to be assaulted by cupboards flying open and shedding food all over the van as we rounded the first corner out of the carpark! Remember to slot in the bolts – we’re trying!

Bears are something you are constantly aware of in the Rockies. The bins for a start are all bear-proofed to stop them pilfering and there are signs and photos of them everywhere. And I really want to see one… but I’m a tiny bit scared if it happens when we’re out walking.

The first day the sun was trying to break through and we decided to take a stroll up Sulphur Mountain in Banff. I say stroll – it wasn’t. Our hiking pace that started off enthusiastically soon ground to a sensible pace, before moving to a crawl. Older couples with tanned skin and floppy hats strode past and we rested frequently on stone ledges – to let others pass of course!

I wondered about seeing a bear, but all we spotted was a chipmunk (or Canadian Pika). When we reached the top of the cable car we were in desperate need of seats and coffee, but the panoramic views of snowcapped mountains, blankets of forest and winding ribbons of a duck egg blue river made it all worth it.

Having caught our breath we headed down the other side of the mountain and found ourselves the only people on the trail. Going down was a bit of a relief – I honestly don’t think I could have climbed another step at that point. Half an hour down the winding track my fellow hiker announced, 

“Now this is bear country.” And a then few minutes later. 

“Keep your eyes open for movement, if we see one you might have to reach for the bear spray.”

The bear spray looks a bit like a small fire extinguisher and as far as I’m aware doesn’t harm them. It’s pepper so they can’t see to come and gobble you up! Of course they don’t eat people… do they?

“What? what did you see…?”

“Ssh – over there!” It was one of those heart stopping moments.

“It was something orange… not a bear… I just saw it move up ahead.”

Ok so not a bear – no reason to panic yet! Seconds later I also spotted something ginger/looking with a tail slide off a rock ahead. I kept glancing back. There was no one in sight, but I had that feeling I was being watched and maybe followed. Bear eyes glared out from every fallen tree and odd shaped bush.

Suddenly we saw a little face peering at us from behind a rock. It blinked. It had Teddy bear ears and a glistening black nose.

“What is it?”

It was definitely not a bear… it let us move in a take few snaps. It turned out to be a Hoary Marmot- quite large, almost the size of big badger or maybe a tiny bear. But it wasn’t a bear.

The bear watch continued for the next couple of hours and both of us paused frequently to scan the open terrain for signs of movement or listen for munching. In the end the only other wild life we saw was a group of very elegant elk – who gave us the time of day and posed for a photo before resuming their lunch.

It had been a ‘bearless’ day – but I’d loved every minute of it.

Yesterday I spotted a mountain goat on the side of a road, we both said hello to a red squirrel and I stared into the bulbous brown eyes of a white tailed deer a few feet away from me along the banks of a canyon.

But still no bears. Let’s hope they make an appearance before the end of the trip and I survive to tell the tale!