In the Wilderness

In this breezy, first‑person memoir, a self‑conscious city visitor finds himself wandering the blackberry‑laden slopes of the Adirondacks, rifle slung over his shoulder more for show than for sport. The narrative unfolds with vivid descriptions of cows ambling through sun‑dappled clearings, the hum of insects, and the lingering folklore that every traveler hopes to glimpse a bear. When a massive brown bear finally appears, the author’s mixture of comic anxiety and reluctant practicality turns a simple fruit‑picking outing into a surprisingly tense encounter.

The writer balances humor with honest reflection, recounting past hunting blunders—like a disastrously chaotic robin shot—and the uneasy camaraderie he feels toward the shy creature. Through witty asides and gentle observations, he paints the Adirondack woods as a living stage where human pretension meets wild reality. Listeners will be drawn into his candid voice, feeling both the heat of August and the quiet tension of that unexpected, almost conversational, moment with the bear.