Man Bites Dog!

My housemate Ben came back from a day hike out in the foothills of the Shenandoah mountains on Sunday. The Shenandoah has the highest density of black bears anywhere in the U.S., he says, and his ample experience with them has left him rather fearless. He encountered an adult black bear - sniffing about in some bushes about 30 yards ahead of him. He surprised the bear a lot more than vice versa, and a few seconds later he was racing through the underbrush...chasing the bear. The beleaguered quadriped finally escaped...by climbing a tree.