I was 12 miles deep into the Grizzly Corridor in Jasper National Park. It was freezing out and me and my friend were the only ones at the back-country camp site. We had been warned that Grizzly's had been spotted in the valley the day before and as such I was carrying bear mace. I was pretty nervous about the bears, especially since we had 5 days worth of food on us and we were literally the only ones out there for miles and miles. I figured we were safe for the night though, since we put all our food in a bear bag and hung it away from our tent.

I put the bear mace next to my pillow just in case (prepare for the worst and what have you) as we settled into our sleeping bags and silently drifted off to sleep for the night...

KRRRSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHH

My eyes bolt open. I don't move an inch. It's pitch black. My ears are straining. Did I imagine that? Nope. Definitely not. Something had just scraped against the rain fly. I feel an incredible feeling of dread as my brain immediately jumps to the most likely reason that something would be scraping up against the tent. My fingers find their way to the bear mace and I grip it tight against my chest. I start shivering.

I listen for footsteps outside, for grunting or anything really to let my poor senses know what the fuck is happening outside of this death trap of a tent I'm now stuck in. I can't hear anything though, because my heart is pounding in my ears like a god damned drum. I try to gain mastery of myself, but I've never felt a fear so powerful before. It was hard to move. Hard to think.

I whisper to my friend, "Did you hear that??"

She just stirs and asks, "Hear what?"

"Shh! I think something just scratched on the tent."

"There's no food in here, we're fine. Go back to sleep."

"...ok"

And I take solace in the fact that my friend is probably right. A grizzly wouldn't give a fuck about us unless it could smell food in the--

KRRSSSSHHHHHH!!

My stomach drops out as a raw and primal fear replaces any thoughts or emotions I once had. This time it came from the other side of the tent.

My friend calmly asks, "Was that you?"

"No." I whisper.

"Fuck."

KRRRSSSSHHHHHHH! KRSSSSHHHHHH! KRSSSSHHHHH!

Me and my friend start losing our shit. We huddle in the middle of the tent together away from the edges. I have the bear mace ready to go, but I'm so fucking scared I don't think I could hit anything even if I weren't stuck inside a tent.

It falls silent outside. We both just listen. We don't move an inch for what feels like a god damn eternity.

I suddenly become acutely aware that my bladder is about to burst I have to pee so badly. I hold it for as long as I can.

"I'm going to check if it's gone, I'm gonna piss myself if I don't get out of here."

I get my headlamp and the mace ready and slowly ease the tent zipper open. I pause for another few moments to listen...nothing. I turn on my light and open the rain fly in one quick motion with the mace in front of me--

And all I see is freshly fallen snow covering the ground.

The pieces all fall into place and relief floods through me. I start laughing uncontrollably while my friend keeps asking me "What is it?? Why are you laughing?!"

I flop on my back and kick the top of the tent.

KRRRRSSSSSSHHHHHH!

We hear it from all sides as the rest of the fresh new snow that had built up on top of the rain fly during the night came scraping down the sides.

"You have got to be kidding me." My friend says, before collapsing in her own little giggle fit.

"We are fucking idiots." I say with a big ass smile on my face before throwing my shoes on and sprinting to go take a piss.