Where but in Alaska would the first trail grooming report from the local cross-country ski association note a problem with a trail user that just might maul someone? Yes, look out, another Mama Grizzly is on the prowl in the 49th state. And this one, according to reports, is a real bear:
"Groomer John reported 2 inches of snow up on the Hillside Trails. He's rolling it down to a half-inch -- starting that all important base development. He also reported a "Big A**" bear wandering around up there. Last report this morning he (the bear) was walking down (a trail named) Double Bubble."
Later reports from numerous people who crossed the animal's tracks on the Hillside indicated this one might be traveling with a smaller companion, which would make the animal a "her" and not a "he." Adult male bears are solitary animals. Only sows travel with cubs, which they have to protect from other bears, especially males, that would like to kill them. The danger posed to cubs by other bears is thought to be part of the reason sow grizzlies are aggressively protective.
Photo courtesy Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage
An image posted on the Nordic Ski Association of Anchorage Facebook page would indicate this bear was a grizzly. Grizzly tracks are squarer than black bear tracks and always display the marks of long claws in front. The holes in the snow at the front of the footprint posted on the ski association page would be the kind of marks left by such claws.
How long the bear or bears will linger in the area is hard to say. They should be going to bed soon. Black bears of Southcentral Alaska are usually in their dens by mid-October. And most grizzly bears in Southcentral Alaska are headed for hibernation by Nov. 1.
All bears, however, will delay denning if good food sources remain. Some grizzly bears on southern Kodiak Island do not den at all because of the availability of marine food resources. There has never been a report of an Anchorage area bear spending the entire winter out of the den, however.
Reach Craig Medred at craig(at)alaskadispatch.com