The Grizzly Man Diaries
Timothy Treadwell's Unseen Journals (5 and 6)
Journals 1 and 2 | Journals 3 and 4 | Journals 5 and 6 | Journals 7 and 8
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Friday, October 6, 2000
(Highlighting Episode 5 of 8)
Day 130 of an Expedition that goes on and on. Brutal marine forecast this morning: Winds tomorrow, Saturday, to blow 50 knotts; about 60 miles per hour from the Northwest — cold winds. A direction that any move of the tent cannot really help. Everywhere around this camp area is open to northwest winds. I was instead going to try to build a windbreak with washed up logs and debris. My mood was not good.
No real chance of getting out by Sunday. At this point the only slim, slim slice of hope was if the pilots realized the height of the problem and came out tomorrow before the wind fired up. Yet by tomorrow morning the winds might already be howling. How I wished to be in the Grizzly Maze.
As I scavenged about looking for plywood — found Booble's bed — close to my camp with a view of the tent. Very touching. Set up three large boards of plywood around the tent — kept them upright with heavy blunt logs and wedges of timber.
After the hours of work I noticed a possible campsite just a hundred feet away that would have had land blocking the northeast winds and a heavy long log that could have secured as a perfect spot to put the plywood — which would have blocked the northeast wind. Would of was the word because rain began to fall making a camp move too messy. If the rain stopped early tomorrow and there was no Bush line message of impending pick up I'd move.
Also took a bath at the Center Creek. On the way back I saw one of the largest Alaskan moose across in the Play Pen. Very beautiful! No foxes — yet. Not even the babies.
Horrible — horrible news: Winds forecast for 70 knots — 80 miles per hour. I was in huge trouble. Needed to keep myself together — move as soon as possible to the found campsite.
Within two hours of the above entry — I moved camp — could be a lifesaver. Had set up the wood blockade and was lower on land. The other camp was most probably in the most receptive wind area in the entire Grizzly Sanctuary. A move of a hundred or less feet made a very tangible difference.
Jewel sent what she stated as the last Bush line. Hopefully she'll check in with the pilots regarding my situation. Winds in the afternoon were hitting 40 miles per hour — by early evening breaking 50 mph. It would take a stunning and radical change to fly out tomorrow.
At 7:00 p.m. I got an updated marine forecast. Tonight — Saturday October 7, 2000 was the peak — winds to about 40 mph in the morning — less by the afternoon. Could I actually make it out? Very, very doubtful. Will have to check the 10:00 a.m. Bush line and marine weather — tomorrow!
Early evening with the last light a cute bear was out in the ocean bay looking for fish — winds at least 50 mph. My heart went out to the bear. Such a hard working animal — how I loved, admired and respected them.
Low = ?, High = 48°, Rain = ?, Bears = 1, Animals = 1 Seal
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Friday, July 28, 2000
(Highlighting Episode 6 of 8)
The Bump was about ten feet long, four feet wide and about four feet high at its narrowed peak. Evidently the Bump was over the back creeks bank — which once extended well up water. At the Bump I could see Freckles and Crimson in a violent clench. Freckles threw Crimson into the creek. Violent. Very violent. Freckles continued to roar at Crimson who tried to literally move away. Freckles had succeeded in defending the remaining fish in the creek.
I moved back to my position on the edge of the peninsula that just touched into the back creek. A year 2000 observation regarding the peninsula was the continued tall growth of grasses and woods. Two years before it was mostly open earth. Crimson attempted to come back to the creek by cutting through the side opposite of the peninsula. Freckles evicted him again ... sending Crimson to the safety of the caverns above. Freckles ripped at the ground with all four paws and urinated. A warning was dance for Crimson and all who dared disobey him.
Freckles was both hostile and exhausted. Freckles found a sot of tall shrubs and rubbed his back by stretching, standing and arching backward. Then in a surprise mad Freckles stalked back to the creek ... directly in my path. I didn't react quickly enough. Frankly, I felt immune to Freckles' hostility. I assumed that he would slip around me. Freckles did not. He was at my feet within seconds. Was he challenging me to move, coming after me or simply trying to get back to the creek? I was momentarily confused — bad. Then recovering I spun strategy through my brain like the reels of a one armed bandit. First I stepped slightly forward acting dominant. With less than three feet between us it was an all or nothing move. Freckles stood firm and stern. I pivoted slowly — slow motion like — opening up an access way for Freckles to proceed toward the creek. He crept by. Then stood menacingly just feet to my left. It was not over yet. I spoke calmly, gently to the grizzly. Agonizing minutes tallied. All the while I had the video camera running. Oddly as Freckles tramped by me he gingerly stepped around my Freckles returned to the creek. All was safe for the time being. I'm going to need to study the videotape on this affair. Close. Very close.
The end of Freckles back creek domination was coming. More and more adult males invaded trying to get Freckles cache. First Crimson, then Quincy, followed by Shaggy, Galahad and a male not seen for several years, Concrete. Individually Freckles could beat any of the bears. However, in a very evolved cultural maneuver the bears began working in covert: Quincy, Galahad, and Shaggy invaded from the outlet, Crimson and Concrete from up creek. Freckles boldly attempted to fight off each incursion. Physically brawling with Quincy and Galahad in the outlet, and Crimson up creek. Back and forth. Each with his own charge the forces encroached the unshielded area and grabbed fish. Freckles was irate!
Low = 41°, High = 64°, Rain = .10", Bears = 5
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