first morning in the valley, magical moment
we just found parking at the lodge and were walking to The Village, probably around 7:30.
as we followed the path along the road, we saw a small cluster of people gathered and looking towards the tall tree in the photo.
I then quickly saw their point of interest: a large momma brown bear walking through the tall grass.
i’ve never seen a bear in person. it brought out an involuntary gasp, and froze me to the ground. it was such a strikingly beautiful moment.
then, the bear began looking up at the tall tree, and we heard some strange sounds, almost like a cry for help.
Some stick and leaves rained down. The mom sat back on its hind legs and looked up.
High in the tree, almost near its peak, were two cubs, one of which was hanging from a swaying, thin branch that bounced as he moved.
the scene became a bit tense then, as we feared the branch would snap and we’d see this baby bear fall 15+ feet.
before i could look back down, the momma bear scaled its way up the tree, and walked out on that same flimsy branch. i marveled at an animal with so much mass being able to climb with so much ease.
—-
we stayed for another five minutes to see if the mom would help lower the cubs, but did not want to see a possible accident, so we left. i’m assuming it all went well.
it was an unforgettable first impression of the park.