Adventures in Arkansas

As previously posted, we stayed at the Buffalo River National Park monday night. We started off at the visiter center, and talked to a ranger who recommended a spot that was great for swimming, and free camping. Being the cheap lads we are, we went straight there. It was a gorgeous area. Canoers stopped to swim and drink, we ate and set up camp. Once the sun was heading down, we retired to the tent and got ready to fall asleep. The thing about where we were staying is that it's not a real camp site that is monitored for unusual animal behavior. We were completely in the wilderness. So, it is no surprise that as soon as we closed our eyes, something in the bushes started rustling towards us. The two of us had packed our knives and pepper spray, and we were armed before we were out of our sleeping bags. For a full minute, silence. It was broken at once by a fierce and unforgettable growl. Ben deduced it to be from a Black Bear, so being the quick-thinking lads that we are, we growled right back. We may not seem very intimidating during pleasant conversation, but apparently we are, because the creature ceased its approach. Our three inch blades and plastic containers of mace were not put to use, but they were the only possessions we thought to grab as we ran as fast as we could in our underwear. We made our way safely to the car and (eventually) fell asleep. Once morning had come, we deemed the campsite as safe and headed back. All of our belongings were in order, except for the outside of the tent, which had been "marked" by our enemy, further proving it's victory. We have yet to determine any sort of moral from this story...

--Evan

P.S. Our access to internet is very sporadic, you'll have to excuse the long periods between posts.