Chapleau River Revisited

Years ago we used to entertain ourselves.
Something similar happened on one of my fishing trips. In fact it was on the Chapleau River, the
same week I taught Mike a bit about Toadology. My buddy Jay, the same one I went down the river
with and taught casting was on this trip too. I don't think I posted the river story over here yet.
Anyway, Jay was a bit worried about bear. We were camped on the bank of the river and behind the
camp, a hill rose at about a 45 degree angle. It was a couple hundred feet high and covered with
small pine and brush mixed in with some giants.
Well as I said Jay was a bit uptight about the bear in the area. We saw sign of them all the time but
had not seen any. I like to tell stories so at night we all would lay in the tent and I would start talking
about bear. Really bothered Jay so I made them good.
One day, while Jay and Mike and Mikes dad, Dale were fishing up at the rapids, I took a walk up the
hill. About a hundred feet or so up that hill I saw a big stump. Now we had some short, about 2 ft,
lengths of log around camp. We also had some rope. I got to figguring that I might be able to liven
up tonights story.
I grabbed up that log and a lenght of rope and headed up that hill! Busted my butt trying to get up
there but I didn't figure Jay would appreciate my efforts
I stood the log on its end and tied the rope around it. Wrapped about a dozen wraps around the log
and started stringing the rope down the hill. Slid that sucker under the tent bottom and under Jays
sleeping bag and into mine.
Later that night, after we ate and sat around the fire for a while talking about the days fishing, we hit
the sack. .
Well we crawled in the sack and Jay started right a way, griping about how cold it was. He was in a
sleeping bag with a snowmobile suite on and a big old wool cap. Mittens and sox, the whole mess
and I was sleeping in my skivvies with the bag open. Tolt the puny sucker he ought to eat more!
Well I started a telling the boy about the bear tracks I had seen today while they were out fishing. He
started a calling me a liar and all sorts of other things my mama would wup my arse for. I swore it
was true and he tried to ignore me. I acted all huffy and told him to let me sleep.
I let it slide for about ten minutes. I knew the little sucker was still awake because I had planted that
seed in the boy. I say boy but he was a full growed man but a little puny. After a while I said,"What
was that?" He said, "Whats what"? I said that I heard a noise. He called me a liar. I told him to listen.
When I strung that rope through the tent I put it right under his head. He hauled a pillow all the way up
there to put his little head on. How nice I was worried that he would feel it when I started pulling it but
I didn't have to worry. The way he was bundled up he wouldn't feel anything---I thought. Anyway, I told
them that I heard something behind the tent. They were a listening now, I'll tell you. I gave a bit of a
pull on the rope and that log came a tumbling down that hill and I yelled, "Here it comes"!! "BEAR
BEAR"!! It was a crashing down that hill, making all kinds of racket and I think Jay was a bit more
alert than a few minutes before. Well I gave that rope a huge,two handed pull and since it was under
Jay's head it liked to have lifted the poor boy to his feet. He screamed and I screamed,"HE'S IN
THE TENT!! Jay was a scrunched down in that sleeping bag, all wrapped up in almost everything he
brought with his and he damn near broke his neck trying to get away from that bear!! He is a yelling
and I am a laughing and the other two were having a hard time figgern' what was a going on. I liked
to have pissed my pants, I'll tell you. He jumped up and tryed to run out the tent flap. For what reason,
I don't know as it was as black as a yard up a bulls arse out there. And there were bear around.
A man can not run in a sleeping bag. I'm here to testfy. Cuz I seen it tried that night. He busted out
that tent flap and almost rolled into the, still smoltering, campfire. I jumped out and tackled him and
was laughing so hard that the little runt liked to have beat me to death with the only hand he
managed to get free.
Dale grabbed a flashlight as the tent was still black and shined on us. He still didn't know what I had
done but figured I was up to something as I was laughing so hard.
Jay finally figured that I had got him again and was really unreasonable. Person should not call a
friend them things. I had to set on him and drink a couple beers before he would calm down enough
that I dared to turn him loose. I let him have one too.
I had many trips like these and they all were fun. I have another of Jay and I going down the Lorenze
river in upper Ontario that I will post later. Some have already read it but others might enjoy it.
Every story reminds me of something that has happened to me and it is fun. Hope you enjoy them.
True stuff