A Sudden Dilemma by the Roadside
A black bear leaned her front paws over the concrete lip of an open drainage pipe beside a mountain highway.
Down inside the narrow shaft, two small dark paws scrambled against the smooth, vertical stone.
The cub could not reach the top edge, slipping back down every time his claws lost purchase on the concrete.
The mother lowered her muzzle into the opening, touching noses with her young one before pulling back to scan the passing cars.
Traffic along the shoulder slowed to a crawl as drivers noticed the large predator standing exposed beside the road.
Stepping Up With a Quick Plan
A man pulled his SUV onto the gravel shoulder and stepped out into the open air.
He walked around the back of his vehicle, retrieved a flat wooden plank, and carried it in both hands.
The mother bear retreated several paces into the brush, keeping her head low and her attention fixed on the stranger.
The man approached the circular rim and stopped just short of the drop-off.
He went down onto one knee, turning the long piece of timber toward the deep pit.
Lowering a Way Out
He tilted the wooden plank downward until the bottom end planted firmly against the base of the drain.
Inside the shadows of the shaft, the cub pressed its snout against the coarse surface of the board.
The man braced the top of the wood with both hands, locking his arms to keep the plank from shifting against the concrete edge.
The cub gripped the splintered grain with its claws and pushed upward, lifting its belly clear of the bottom.
Step by careful step, the small animal climbed the makeshift ramp toward the sunlight.
The man remained crouched on the gravel, holding the timber steady until the cub stepped onto the road’s shoulder.
Reunion on the Forest Edge
The cub scampered across the loose gravel toward the treeline where the adult bear waited.
The mother stepped forward, bending her neck down to press her nose against the cub’s head and neck.
She nudged the little one behind her legs before turning back toward the treeline.
The man stood upright, his hands loose at his sides, watching from several yards away beside his vehicle.
Both bears turned together and walked side by side into the tall pine trees, disappearing behind the dark trunks.
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