As the “The Teddy Bears Picnic” song goes, “If you go down in the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise”. And I was when I came across the big guy, M122, last month. I saw fresh tracks going across my path. When I looked down the slope to my right. There he was slowly moving in the woods through the deep snow. He’s challenged by moving through deep snow, as we would be. With his lower height, he walks next to the trees when he can, where the snow is less thanks to the branches above. As well, trees being darker, heat is radiated from them. Which helps the snow melt under the canopy first.
Been up since the middle of March and having to deal with a deep snowpack for a few months, every bit helps to conserve energy for the big guy. For wildlife, energy is money, and the goal is to save as much as possible until it’s needed. That could be escaping a predator or dealing with a bigger competitor. For M122, he might use his savings when there is a chance of catching prey or chasing competition away. But, one thing he does not have to worry about is being chased away. You just have to look at him to see he is good at saving.
But sometimes it pays not to be efficient. A Washington State University study was able to find the optimal speed of a bear at 4.2 kilometers an hour in a lab. But on the landscape it was calculated to be 2.2 kilometers an hour. It was concluded, the bears might forgo efficiency to take in the landscape and to forage for food. As well, it was learned from the same study that bears prefer slopes that were 10 percent grade or less. If the slope is steeper, they go up in a switchback pattern to maintain their grade preference. Plus, more opportunities to come across food.
Oh yeah, there’s another mammal that prefers the same grade as the bears, us humans. The bears will take full advantage of the hiking trails when they come across one. Not only do many of our hiking trails have their preferred grade, they also have no trees and shrubs coming across their path. There’s a small chance for one to come across a bear while hiking. But, it’s always good to have bear spray all year on the trails and even more so during the bear-aware season.
