One amazing thing about living in in the Comox Valley? You can head out into the woods, and chances are you’ll have the whole place to yourself.
It’s any introvert’s dream, and resident Terry Walker knows how to take full advantage of this.
That is, until unexpected visitors arrive.
He was down by Tsable River near Fanny Bay with no one else around, it was hot out. So Walker decided to strip down and take a swim in the nude.
Who doesn’t love a good skinny dip?
Sounds like his day was off to a fantastic start. Until someone else showed up wanting to share the river with him.
While standing cheeks out on a rock, he looks down river, and who’s there looking back at all his glory?
A full-grown black bear, sniffing the air. We’re sure he thought he could smell a new flavour of sashimi.
“I froze,” said Walker to the Comox Valley Record.
“He turned as if he was going to start walking upstream toward me. The fact that I was nude added to the stress of the moment,” he added with a laugh. “I waited until he looked away, then I scampered back to where my backpack and clothes were. I must have set a record for getting dressed quickly.”
From there, Walker remembered that bears aren’t a fan of noise. So he put on a show.
He started shouting and hitting rocks with sticks until Balu couldn’t stand his lack of the ‘bear necessities’ of both harmonization and coordination. The big bear decided it was time for an exit from the weirdest party he’d ever been to.
It might have been a bad time for the bear, but for Walker, it was truly his Florida Man moment.
However, he’s hoping no one else has to have that much luck by their side. He’s warning all other Valley nudists that, unless you’d like unwelcome spectators, now is simply not the time.
If you do venture out and meet a bear somewhere you shouldn’t, call Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) at 1-877-952-7277.
You can also call bylaw control with any concerns about wild animal interactions. Just be careful not to mistake any naked men banging sticks around for yetis.
