Hiker Narratives of Living among Bears on the Appalachian Trail

Abstract

Abstract The Appalachian Trail is a 2,000-mile-long wilderness trail shared by hikers and numerous nonhuman animal species, including the American Black Bear (Ursus americanus). In many areas of the trail, bears have become habituated to humans, occasionally leading to conflict between them. Some hikers choose to blog about their experiences on the trail, including their experience of living among bears. Their narratives center around space-oriented themes of proximity, dwelling, and segregation. The concept of dwelling is useful in understanding how hikers and bears come to share a lifeworld in which each species is usually given enough room to dwell in their own way. A hiker’s immersion in the spaces belonging to bears can lead them to a more nuanced appreciation of bears as autonomous beings. Dwelling also points towards a way of being with nonhuman animals that avoids doing harm to them or to their homes.