May 31, 2012
By Dylan Polk
It's no secret that some professional athletes -- quite of a lot of them, actually -- are pretty avid hunters. But when one is forced to put his survival skills to the test, well, we can't help but be impressed.
Philadelphia Eagles Pro-Bowl defensive lineman Jason Babin took a bear-hunting trip to Alaska with every intention of making it back in time for the Eagles' first scheduled organized team activities (OTAs) last week.
However, the weather up in Cold Bay, Alaska, where Babin was camping , got a little rough, forcing Babin and his guide to stay a few extra days.
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That meant enduring freezing temperatures, living off freeze-dried meals, and climbing glaciers and boiling the ice just to get some fresh water.
"When the weather blows in, you don't have a lot of options," Babin told the Philadelphia media when he finally arrived for OTAs. "There were times when the tent bent in so hard, the tent was in our sleeping bags. There was snow drifting over."
Perhaps most disappointing was that Babin came away empty handed; while he saw a few brown bears wandering around, he never saw the one he was after.
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Sorry you didn't get him, Jason. If it's any consolation, you can always take another trip to the OTHER frozen tundra -- the one without all the Cheeseheads, I mean -- next offseason.