Does encounters with horny wildlife count?
I had just graduated from college and had a week free before summer job, with a new 12 week Lab pup. Hiked 10 or so miles up the Little Chena out of Fbks with inflatable canoe in pack. No trail/bush whacking all the way. Pup pooped out after about 4 miles, was added to pack. Did a John Wayne (camp here!) when I pooped out. Good thing I was going off-river straight(more or less) line miles rather than snakey river miles.
Spent 2 days camping, fishing (grayling), watching campfire smoke rise, etc. then inflated the canoe and started the float out. This was late May IIRC. Turned out I wasn't even on the main river, but a side channel that goes dry later in the season Iearned on a subsequent trip several years later. frequent beaver dams which I dared not shoot in a rubber ducky. Even if I did have a patch kit. I portraged them all.
Several dams down I came around a bend in the 20 foot wide stream to find rather large grizzlies on the banks maybe 50 feet ahead, one on each side. A breeding pair, second only to sow with cubs for pucker power. I'm packing a Ruger Single Six with the magnum cylinder installed, sporting solids. Not exactly good bear medicine.
Two rounds in the air got the right hand bear to notice me and bolt. I back paddled to that side, then the left hand bear splashed across (one splash!) in following. I reloaded. Pup, asleep on top of my pack, never woke up.
Little did he know I was going to throw him at the charging bear.
Not really, but he was on his own! If the bear(s) came I was going to roll out of the canoe and swim as far underwater downstream as I could
The shakes lasted longer than the whole maybe 30 second incident. Amazing how time slows down to allow one to consider options....
45 years later and some experience gained with bears I'd likely forego the shakes for a big grin. Or maybe not.
