Gimmer knows the Lake District well. Of course, that is where he was raised. It's a beautiful part of the United Kingdom and is a fabulous place to go for a walk. Everyone in Britain is familiar with Lake Windemere, and Bowness, a cute little town on its shore. Beatrix Potter's farm was not far from Gimmer's family homestead, and he would walk the footpaths as a young bear, admiring the Herdwick sheep in her fields. His favorite part of Cumbria was the Hardknott Pass in the Esk Valley, and he liked to pretend he was a Roman soldier there two centuries ago with the wind whipping around his furry head. Sometimes he would go for tea at a bed and breakfast near the Wrynose Pass in Elterwater. They had the best home-made cake for just 99p. Ravenglass was another town he would trek through, and sometimes he would stay at the little caravan park not far from the train station and enjoy fried eggs each morning on his little camp chair.
Gimmer worked as an adventure guide, taking other Teddy bear visitors on long walking tours. He suggested they wear good shoes with strong soles and dress in layers, for the weather can be quite changeable in Cumbria, one minute warm, the next cold and rainy. Some days he took only the more experienced bears up to the rope bridge at Fleetwood Pike, one of the highest in Europe at 2,000 feet. Only the bravest and the boldest bears would accompany him there. Every year he would drive a van full of Teds to the ferry to Derwent Island and have a picnic on the small wooded island. On his last his visit there, he ate so many honey cakes, he completely forgot his rucksack and map. He hopes to find it there again, nestled under the pine trees.
When Gimmer came to America a few years ago, he didn't intend to stay. He was visiting a distant cousin, Brett, who lived in Stokes State Forest in northwestern New Jersey. Gimmer certainly didn't expect to see such a forest in New Jersey. The Appalachian Trail passed very close to Brett's small cottage, and they spent the day exploring the hiking paths in the area. They actually saw a very large black bear from a distance, and Gimmer had his walking stick at the ready, just in case the big bruin came too near. The next day, the two Teddy bears thought it prudent to report the bear sighting to the park ranger. Indeed, it was a serendipitous decision, for Park Ranger Gemma was the most lovely Teddy bear Gimmer had ever laid eyes on, and as fate would have it, she thought Gimmer was the most handsome Teddy bear she had ever seen.
Needless to say, Gimmer extended his holiday. Every day he walked the trails, coming down the mountain to report daily bear sightings to Gemma, and every day she looked forward to filling out his bear sighting reports. Within a year, they were married on the top of Sunrise Mountain, and he too became a Park Ranger and an ad hoc adventure guide, making sure visitors to the park didn't get lost and reminding them not to feed the bears, as they are stuffed already.
Gimmer does miss his homeland and his Teddy bear friends in the UK. In the evenings, he'll pull out his maps of Cumbria and dream about the Hardknott Pass and the honey cakes. He's promised to take Gemma to Bowness to visit his family, and Gemma is very excited to meet them all. Maybe they'll find his rucksack and map on Derwent Island. and maybe they'll just end up staying.
