Spirit Bear

Friday night was the opening of Perseverance Theatre's The Blue Bear. The play is based on the book of the same name by Lynn Schooler.  It is a story of the friendship between a nature guide and wildlife photographer, as they search for the ever elusive blue bear or "glacier bear" as it's more widely known. A glacier bear is a black bear, but has a unique silvery white color. It's not a polar bear, but rather a glacier bear. These bears are incredibly rare, and you could live in Alaska your entire life, and never see one. In the end of the play, characters never find a glacier bear, but it's their friendship that was most important. The production was incredible, and one of the best plays I've seen at Perseverance.

The Spirit Bear

What was especially fun for me, as I was watching the play, was that I have actually seen one of these rare glacier bears. It happened a couple of years ago, while I was working in Skagway. I knew this particular glacier bear existed in the town, because it was already protected by the Department of Fish and Game, and it was known as The Spirit Bear.

Photo courtesy of Skagway News

It was nearing the end of the summer, and I was driving up to my friend's house on the side of the mountain. I saw what I thought was a huge dog walking toward me on the other side of the road. I slowed down, and realized it was a bear. And not just any bear-it was the Spirit Bear. He crossed in front of my car, stopped to look right at me, and then climbed up the side of the mountain. It was so alarming to see a bear, but most excited because it was the Spirit Bear. I was so affected and delighted by this encounter, and reeled from it for a few days. Sadly mere days after this spotting, the Spirit Bear got into someone's rabbit patch and was shot and killed. The town was so disturbed by the killing, they held a memorial service and even tried to have the shooter charged with animal cruelty.

The following summer, I lived in a cabin in the woods and heard something strange outside. Like a dying, hungry bird. I looked outside and saw a small, brown, black bear run across my front yard. I could hear it grunt with each stride. I was incredibly alarmed and afraid, but just after the bear crossed into the woods it came right back out with a little greyish white cub happily trotting behind. I guess that weird sound was the cub crying for its mama. I don't know if that little grey cub grew up to be a glacier bear, but I feel blessed that these little creatures have allowed me to witness a bit of their lives. One of the many reasons I love it up here.

xo
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