EPISODE · May 13, 2026 · 3 MIN
Scat, Silence, and Sovereignty
from Musings of a Middle Aged Man · host David Olson
I have seen many animal prints in the backcountry, but never one left by Lord Bear. I have encountered Grizzly in Montana, Black Bear and Black Bear scat on the ramp to the Kuwohi observation tower in Smoky Mountains National Park. Relative to Grizz, the Black Bear looks like playthings, really, really large dog-type companions tagging along on a forest jaunt. Looks are deceiving. The Black Bear could tear apart a human in nothing flat, rendering the next scat pile a mixture of berries and partly digested human bits. I did see Grizz scat while hiking a Glacier National Park trail, but no sign of paw print nor claw indentations in the soil. It was as if Lord Bear levitated while shitting. At least, the piles answer the age-old question about a bear shitting in the woods...
What this episode covers
I have seen many animal prints in the backcountry, but never one left by Lord Bear. I have encountered Grizzly in Montana, Black Bear and Black Bear scat on the ramp to the Kuwohi observation tower in Smoky Mountains National Park. Relative to Grizz, the Black Bear looks like playthings, really, really large dog-type companions tagging along on a forest jaunt. Looks are deceiving. The Black Bear could tear apart a human in nothing flat, rendering the next scat pile a mixture of berries and partly digested human bits. I did see Grizz scat while hiking a Glacier National Park trail, but no sign of paw print nor claw indentations in the soil. It was as if Lord Bear levitated while shitting. At least, the piles answer the age-old question about a bear shitting in the woods...
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Scat, Silence, and Sovereignty
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