It was close to eleven o'clock, and I was planning on filling water balloons up for the next day. I decided to head back to my cabin to grab my earphones so I could listen to music while I filled the water balloons. Half way back to my cabin, I heard noise coming from the woods. I looked over and noticed it was coming from the road path area that went to the high school cabins. I listened for awhile and thought it was just teenagers messing around. I thought about continuing to my cabin, but I knew I was the adult and needed to send the youth back to their cabins.
I shined my mag light down the path and continued to make my way in that direction. About 20 yards down the path my light fell on a black figure. He was about my height and I made eye contact with him. At first, I thought it was a teen in a mask; but then reality kicked in. I was staring at black bear on it's hind feet, staring back at me red eyes (reflection of my mag light). I slowly backed up, and then took off running. I stopped in the camp lights with my light shining at the woods. I grabbed my phone to call our camp director to make sure staff did not come from the kitchen area and to alert the camp we had a bear on campus. I heard growls and movement in the leaves, and took off running thinking that the bear was coming my direction. I stopped again to see that the bear never left the woods and I should be okay. I called Joe and we made sure all staff were in buildings and safe, all campers were already in their cabins. Phil, the owner of the camp, came down and met me asking questions of what I saw and heard. I told him it sounded like a few teenagers in the woods, and then. I saw just one bear. He told me that there had been sightings of a small mama black bear with two cubs. I never saw cubs, but with all the noise, I think I might have saw mama bear and the cubs were close by...awesome life story from camp on how I almost got into a tangle with a black bear
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