Bear Facts

Longtime installer Chad Silver thought he had seen it all when it comes to laying carpet in homes and business throughout Western North Carolina. But Chad had a new experience while working on a job in the Mountain Aire development in the Burnsville area.

Mountain Aire is a gated mountain community (elevation 4,600 feet) with breathtaking 360-degree views. Chad got an unexpected view when he was working in a home there and returned to his van to find that two young bears were rummaging around inside the vehicle.

Chad decided very quickly that he could wait on the bears. One got out of the van while the other was in no hurry to depart, leisurely pulling apart a Styrofoam cup that Chad used for coffee. After shredding the cup, he finally lumbered out of the vehicle and went back into the woods. Chad resumed his labors, with a new story to tell co-workers.