Todd Standing

A 1984 Sylvanic chronicle

February 19, 2006 |  1 comment
Image Credit: This is the second of 5 chronicles that I believe directly transpired in or around the area known as Sylvanic.If you have no knowledge of Sylvanic I recommend reading the introductory article published on this website entitled “The mysteries of Sylvanic” and or have a look at the documentaries published at www.sylvanic.com. This gentleman, Andrew, contacted me through a now retired forest ranger that assisted us with the disappeared story documented on the website. The forest ranger for confidentiality reasons never told us about this 1984 Sylvanic incident and Andrew always thought no one would ever believe him because his near death experience in Sylvanic was nothing less then a miracle. Andrew, in 1984, had over twenty years of rock climbing experience. On a July weekend he and a friend planned a hiking/rock-climbing trip into the Rocky Mountains. Unfortunately the friend was unable to participate on the expedition due to illness but Andrew was determined to enjoy his long weekend so he elected to go off on his own. On his first day he hiked to the top off a mountain peek that was just on the edge of his map. With his binoculars he scouted a mountain he would hike up the next morning. From his vantage point this particular mountaintop was a joined to several others that overlapped at the top in a long unbroken chain of mountains as far as the eye could see.

The next day he spent the day hiking to this spot and around 5pm he reached his destination. Although he did not know it he had found Sylvanic. I am certain this was Sylvanic because upon entering into the canyon passage there is a landmark that is a one of a kind. Andrew not only correctly identified this landmark but the landmark motivated him to belay down the mountainside to get a closer look. So in a rush of excitement to explore this beautiful valley Andrew left most of his gear at the top of the mountain. He reached the bottom of the canyon no later then 6pm and proceeded to eat a sandwich while he explored. He spoke to me about how he felt a tremendously positive energy in the air like nothing he had ever experienced before. He remembers smiling so hard that his facial muscles where beginning to hurt. After about a half hour of exploring he laid down by the small creek that flows through the center of the canyon pass, closed his eyes and placed his half eaten sandwich on his chest as he soaked up the atmosphere. No more then 5 minutes had passed when he heard an animal approaching south of his position. The hair stood up on the back of his neck as all feelings of jubilation vanished. He froze in terror as he watch a small black bear emerge from what Andrew describe as a narrow cave located approximately 30 yards north of his position (I believe this was not a cave but in fact the entrance way into Sylvanic). The bear had obviously caught the scent of Andrew and his sandwich and was coming to investigate. Andrew two options where to run about 100 yards away from the bear to get to the nearest set of trees to climb or run at a 45 degree angle 40 yards to get back to his rope and climb back up the mountain. He chose the later of the two. As soon as he stood up the bear focused in on him and proceed to move in Andrews’s direction as he slowly moved towards his rope that was hanging off the side of the mountain. Andrew dropped his sandwich in the hope that the bear would stop to consume it. But the bear swallowed the sandwich in a single gulp and picked up it pace towards Andrew. Andrew turned away from the bear and ran for his life. He did not get more then 10yards from his rope when the bear violently knocked him to the group and proceeded to sink its teeth into his right leg with such ferocity that the bone was instantly crushed. Andrew attempted for a moment to struggle free but the strength of the bear was absolutely overwhelming. It was at this point when he had lost all hope, realizing that he could not escape the clutches of this animal. No one would have any idea where he had gone or what had happened to him. His worst nightmare had come to pass. This savage animal was going to eat him alive. He laid motionless for a moment if for no other reason then to stop the animal from sinking it teeth deeper into his flesh, he knew this was a black bear and that playing dead was not going to do him any good. It was at this moment he felt the ground rumbling as if he could feel a heart beating deep within the earth below, something else was approaching his position. There was a gust of wind, a smell in the air and suddenly he was free from the clutches of the black bear. Without wasting a moment, with his last ounce of strength he dragged his broken body to the hanging rope and pulled himself up to safety as he could hear a tremendous altercation transpire between the bear and something else.When he reached the first edge that was about 15 yards up he turned quickly in an attempt to ascertain what had happened.

Unfortunately wherever had managed to free him from the clutches of the bear was gone. The only thing he saw was the black bear limp back into the cave from which it had emerged (Or more accurately exit Sylvanic). At this point Andrew what bleeding profusely, so he made his shirt into a turnicut around his leg and managed to make it back to the top of the mountain where he left his gear. He was barley able to open his pack and get out his bear spray before he passed out from the amount of blood loss he has suffered. He was out in the middle of nowhere, no one knew where he was and he was far to weak to hike back to civilization. In his dazed and confused state Andrew asked god for another miracle. It was about 7 pm now so there was only 3 hours of day light remaining and he was at least 40 miles from any kind of help. He could not stop the bleeding and without immediate medical attention he would not survive the night. Well Andrew got his miracle. The next day he awoke in a Canadian hospital with absolutely no idea how he had gotten there. The day after Andrew was attacked forest rangers successfully tracked down the bear and destroyed it. Andrew was found more then 60 miles north of where he thinks Sylvanic is, on the side of the US/ Canadian border. A farmer discovered him on a back road when he got out of his vehicle to remove a tree that was blocking the road. Andrew was found just after 10pm, which is about 3.5 hours after he was attacked. How he was transported 60 miles through mountainous terrain and dense forest to this day remains a mystery. Further more who or what had broken a tree in half and left it on the road to ensure someone would find Andrew? After Andrews near death experience he married his high school sweet heart and went on to have three children that are the joy of his life. Andrew is not interested in mysteries or native folklore, but he wanted to make this article public so he could say something he has wanted to say for over twenty years. On behalf of himself and his family he would like to express his most heart felt gratitude to whomever gave him a second chance to live his life. Although it is unlikely that he will ever be able to repay the miracle he experienced Andrew has gone on to build a successful business that donates half its profits to various charity’s that are devoted to the betterment of his fellow man. Comments (1)

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