Canmore’s Faith Villanis had the quintessential Canadian experience, watching the northern lights in the company of a black bear.
On Monday night (Oct. 7), a geomagnetic storm caused the aurora borealis to dance and sparkle across the sky, prompting Villanis to head outside to view the spectacular ribbons of red, blue and green at about 11:45 p.m.
Already feeling emotional at the colourful overhead display of the atmospheric phenomenon, she said sensed movement directly behind her where she sat on a chair in her Ridge Road driveway.
“I didn't hear anything but I felt something so I looked back and I saw black fur,” she said, noting she was listening to quiet music on her phone without headphones.
“At first I thought it was someone’s dog and then I looked back again and it was a bear and it was making a snorting noise,” she added.
“He was right behind my chair. He was sniffing me. He was maybe eight inches away. He was very close.”
Scared and pumped full of adrenaline, Villanis got up from her chair and slowly backed towards the entrance to her home, about 10 feet away.
The Canmore resident of seven years said the black bear was in no way aggressive towards her.
“I was scared, for sure, and I went back inside and woke up my boyfriend. He helped calm me down a little bit,” she said, noting the shock of the experience had her in tears.
“Thinking back, now that I am more calm, I feel like the bear was really just curious.”
Now, Villanis looks upon the close encounter as a quintessential Canadian experience and feels very lucky.
“I am not harmed or anything and nothing bad happened,” she said.
“Looking back, it was a really great experience. It really is beautiful.”
