Appalachian Trail shelter closed after bear tries to enter tent

hike

Hikers walk on a section of the Appalachian Trail that runs through New Jersey. (John Munson | NJ Advance Media)

A black bear tried to nose its way into a tent in Stokes State Forest on Wednesday night, prompting the park service to announce that it was closing the Brink Road shelter to hikers.

Brink Road, a popular camping and water stop along the Appalachian Trail, is closed temporarily “due to increased bear activity,” the state Division of Parks and Forestry said in a Facebook post.

The post did not say how long Brink Road would be closed, but said “hikers should plan their itineraries accordingly to avoid camping at the shelter until further notice.”

“A bear rubbed its nose up to a screen on a tent, causing the bear’s nose to partially enter the tent,” said Caryn Shinske, a spokeswoman for the state Department of the Environmental Protection, which oversees the park service. “The bear left the scene.”

Shinske said the park service is not aware of any other recent human-bear interactions in the area.

The other campsites in Stokes State Forest remain open, the park service said.

Officials with the NY-NJ Trail Conference agreed the closure is needed as a safety precaution. Bears are extremely active in the spring, and it is in a hiker’s best interest to avoid them, the group said.

“Fortunately, we are at the very beginning of the thru-hiking season, so we hope the impact to hikers on the Appalachian Trail will be small,” said Zachary Cole, a trail conference spokesman. “The NY-NJ Trail Conference urges all hikers to exercise maximum caution if they do encounter bears on the trail.”

Bob Sickley, the regional manager for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, said bears go to the food source, and that’s often found in shelters. The shelters are equipped with bear-proof containers, and it’s essential that hikers use them, he said.

“Be very careful about the proper storage of food,” Sickley said. “Anything that smacks of food— even a toothbrush— can attract a bear,” he said.

Black bear

Black bears are up and about, and looking for food.

Hikers headed north on the Appalachian Trail can find water and shelter at Gren Anderson, which is about seven miles from Brink Road. Hikers headed south can camp off-trail once they reach the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, which is about two miles from Brink Road, the trail conference said.

Stokes State Forest is host to a 12-mile stretch of the Appalachian Trail, which winds for more than 2,200 miles from Maine to Georgia. Brink Road has access to water and a well-maintained privy— accommodations that make it a popular rest spot.

Unfortunately, the bears like the location, too. Two hikers were were bedded down at the site Wednesday night when the bear stuck its nose into their tent.

One of the hikers came into the Stokes Forest Sport Shop in Branchville on Thursday looking for a tent repair kit for a tent screen. Sue Kopy was working at the store and spoke to the hiker about her brief encounter with the bear.

“Everyone was fine,” Kopy said, adding that the hiker told her no one was hurt and the bear took off. Kopy said the hiker didn’t appear traumatized by the experience and got back on the trail and headed for Maine.

“They moved on,” Kopy said. “You expect things when you walk on the Appalachian Trail.”

In 2011, an 18-month-old bear invaded a camp at Stokes State Forest at night, then nudged its way into a tent where two young boys slept. The boys weren’t injured, but state officials later captured the bear and euthanized it.

More recently, a Sussex County woman was injured May 11 when she encountered three bears at her mailbox in Lafayette. One of the bears took a swipe at her and the woman was taken to the hospital with injuries to her thigh and buttock.

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