We all knew mountain goats defy gravity when they prance around sharp rock faces, but did you know bears have some serious climbing ability too? And I’m not just talking about trees.
I just went indoor rock climbing for the first time this weekend and while I always respected the abilities of the serious climbers, I now have a first hand experience of just how hard it is to get yourself to the top of a wall just by grabbing tiny little holds. My forearms are still sore and this blister won’t be going away for some time…
Plus, there were some thick pads underneath in case I fell off, which was absolutely not the case for the bear cub and its mother that we see in this video.
A kayaker in Texas’ Big Bend National Park saw a mama black bear and her cub climb the face of Santa Elena Canyon wall and it was one of the most stunning things I’ve ever seen.
First of all, bears are pretty big…
The mother isn’t the largest black bear we’ve ever seen, but still had to be a few hundred pounds and really didn’t show any struggles grabbing holds and pulling herself up to a ledge. Clearly, it wasn’t the first time she’d done this.
However, much more impressive was the cub trailing behind her, following her path step for step until one of the gaps was just a bit too big. But that was no issue for this little guy, as it took a second, recalibrated, then made a slight adjustment to its route and got itself to the same ledge, where it hurried to catch up to his mama.
I’ve watched this a few times now and every single view I get more taken with the dexterity and nimbleness of these two.
As the great Dr. Ian Malcomb says in Jurassic Park, life finds a way…
