The Grizzly

Like I said, if we encountered a Grizzly on our last day I would post. Well, after 4 days of searching we got our Grizzly, I'll be the first to admit we were a little too close for comfort, but we made it out safe. As Joe and I were leaving the park early in the morning we decided to venture onto one of the few open trails by "Lamar Valley" and we got what we wanted. The bear must have been 200-300 pounds (Young Male Bear). It was a big bear, but small relative to the 800-900 pound Grizzlies usually found up in Alaska and Canada. There were a few other people on the trail when we spotted the bear (We seemed to all see it at the same time) which was a good thing because the typical rule is that Bears/Mountain Lions are intimidated by groups of 5 or more and we were at the minimum. Park regulations demand that people stay at least 100 yards from Bears/Wolves, but at some points were about 15-20 yards. Joe had his Bear spray locked and loaded and I had a blow horn ready to go in the case he got too close. He stuck around for a while and we got over 500 pictures. Below are a few good ones. He minded his own business digging holes, eating roots, and field mice. Eventually he peacefully walked off into the woods. He never gave us any real scare other than his presence. He knew we were there, but since he wasn't startled and didn't see us as a threat, he kept to himself.

It was quite an experience and it gave us a true appreciation of these animals and what they are capable of. Before we left, Joe bought a book about Grizzly Bear attacks in Yellowstone. He finished most of it during last night's long drive to the badlands. Let's just say he was glad he read it after our bear encounter.