Sleepy Bear

In September of 2024, my dad and I climbed Mount St. Helens in Washington State. The night before summit, I awoke to what I thought was the rising sun. I was wrong: it was only the shine of the moon, much brighter against the darkness we found halfway up this mountain. As I was lying down, I heard my dad snoring.and the wind rustling the trees and thin fabric of the tent. I knew perfectly well the source of these sounds, but with the moonlight shining in so brightly, and our bear box a generous hundred feet away, I shared a sort of childlike comfort with the image of a bear grunting around and lying down for a nap against our tent. In reflection of that thin tent and twisting mind, this short animation is intentionally dream-like, as its air relies on the "gutter", the pauses, or what is not seen.