First Bear

It was a beautiful sunny day and some of us bathed at the creek. After Carol fixed a delicious breakfast for us, we did Tai Chi stretches on the river bank, then leisurely packed up and started hiking at about noon. Temps were in the 70's and we dressed lightly.

We stopped at the bottom of a knoll to fill our water bottles before leaving the gravel drainage. As we were taking our packs off, Sue and I looked up and saw a grizzly coming over the top of the hill. BEAR! We all started waving our trekking poles and yelling loudly. I grabbed one of the pepper sprays to have ready. The griz stood up on it's hind legs to sniff and get a better look, then it ran the other way and scrambled up a steep hill and over the top.

We followed caribou trails around the sides of the hills, avoiding the fields of tussocks in the valley. Everytime we approached a blind corner or crest of a hill, we talked loud and sang so we wouldn't surprise a bear. We hiked up and down hills until about 6:00 PM, then made camp near a tiny creek. We relaxed with a cup of tea and watched thunder and lightning in the distance. The sky was dark and beautiful - many shades of grey. By the time dinner was ready it was raining so we all squeezed into the cook tent to eat. Early to bed to avoid the rain.