preparing for a date

The conditions I set for myself to consider the fear-work complete:
- The bear must be an adult;
- I must be unarmed;
- I must be without a tent or sleeping bag (I’ll explain why later).

In the end, I took only a raincoat, long underwear, 1.5 liters of water, a few apples, and a pack of walnuts I’d gathered near the house. The food lasted me exactly two days — that’s how long the hike went on… The preparation for meeting the bear had been going on for years. In my previous book (Master of the Taiga), I described my first encounter with Mikhaylich, when he wandered near me while I was alone deep in the forest. That night, I learned a lot about myself, but my interest in meeting the bear again only grew…

Ergaki, 2017. I’m sitting alone by the fire, a bear roaring nearby. Twice…

Winter came. A feeling I can only describe as a “call” began to visit me persistently. I didn’t know what it meant, but some subconscious impulse pushed me to go buy a warm winter suit, so I could head back to the Ergaki Nature Reserve — this time in winter. I was stopped by a leg injury in two places, which left me limping on my right foot for two or three months. I had to put the plan off until better times…

Very warm…

Summer 2018… Gradually, I started training, and by spring I’d brought my body to its peak. All preparations were done — I was ready to face the fears on my list.