A Bear Named Hunter and a Bear Named Cupcake

If you could name a bear, what would you name them?

Well, if you are Scarlet, you would name the boy bear Hunter. If you are Bryson, then Cupcake.

What about a wood turtle? What would you name them?

Well, if you are Scarlet, you would name them Rainbow Sprinkles and Sundae.

We had the chance to go on two research projects in Maine, one for bears and one for wood turtles. Jack Hopkins (head of the Center for Wildlife Studies) and I had been planning this trip for years, and one day, he texted me, “We’re a go on that bear trip. Ready?”

I paused to consider whether I could keep the trip a secret from Alex so that it would be a birthday surprise. But it’s a complex trip, and I decided to include him in on the planning.

Good thing too because there were lots of curve balls. After getting all flights and cabins booked months before, Jack let us know that his project was delayed. Thankfully, Jack coordinated with a research project at the northern part of Maine, and we were able to go into the deep woods with Jake and two other guides.

The 6-week project’s goal is to trap bears for research purposes to ensure the Maine bear population is thriving. We were worried that we wouldn’t trap any bears because of the rain and were doubly worried because the research truck we were in had water in the gas tank and couldn’t work, but luckily, we got three bears!

It was pretty incredible to watch how the team at work. The bear would have a loose wire around their leg. One of the research team would distract the bear, while the other would quickly use a stick with a long needle to inject the sleeping serum. Then thirty minutes of measuring, weighing, making sure the bear is healthy. Then afterwards, time to cuddle and smell the bear (I kid you not, they are clean!) 

After the bear project, we spent a day in the lakes and rivers looking for wood turtles. These turtles are coveted for their beautiful shells and are taken from the wild to sell. We had to be careful not to have any of these photos have location data and not post any photos on social media.

We were lucky enough to find 3 baby turtles. These turtles have such a slim chance of surviving.

Scarlet named two of them Rainbow Sprinkles and Sundae.

We also headed into the river waist deep and got lucky to find a lamprey – which Bryson promptly pulled out of its nest. Yikes and wow!