There is an animal in the Rocky Mountains that defines wilderness. It is feared by most but sought by some. The animal that I speak of is the grizzly bear. I am one who will set out into the untouched wilderness with the hopes of being able to photograph such an awe inspiring animal. This is a tale of a very close grizzly encounter that I experienced.
Once common throughout many parts of the lower 48, the grizzly bear is now only located in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem up to Glacier National Park. The grizzly bear is a herbivore and rarely hunts. Rather it is a scavenger and will feast on already dead animals that have been killed by wolves or the harsh elements of the rocky mountain region. Highly misunderstood grizzly bears rarely actively hunt humans, and when they do kill a human it is mostly because of a mother protecting her young or a bear defending a meal.
The date was June 2nd 2021. I was working a summer season at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. After working my morning shift, I gathered all my gear and I set out alone to one of my secluded backcountry spots in search of wildlife to photograph. I am very accustomed to solo off trail hiking in the wilderness and am very knowledgable on how to handle animal encounters.
I parked my car at the usual pullout and I wandered up a forested hill about 2 miles then out into a large valley that a river runs through. I set up my camera nestled into a small patch of trees and waited for several hours in hopes of seeing some kind of wildlife. I saw nothing. I decided to pack up my gear and start to head back down to the car as the light was starting to fade and its best not to be in the trackless wilderness trying to find your way out after dark.
I started to hike down the hill making my way through the thick pine forest. About halfway down I heard a twig snap so I stopped and surveyed the area to see what caused the noise. As I looked to my right my body froze. About 20 feet away was a large grizzly staring me down through the thick vegetation. I slowly grabbed my bear spray and took off the safety ready for him to come charging, but he remained docile. We stared at each other for about five minutes and as I realized he did not seemed threatened by my presence I decided to slowly get my camera out of my bag and try to take a picture. The grizzly was showing no signs of aggression but rather curiosity with what I was and what I was doing in the woods where he dwelt. I was unable to get any good images due to lack of light and all the thick brush I had to shoot through so it was hard for me to find focus.
After about ten minutes of him staring at me he took no notice and went back to digging for roots to eat. Since he was a male without cubs and didn’t have a carcass nearby he was not at all threatened by me. I tried to sneak around for a better look and to get a better picture but due to it getting dark, and I lost sight of where he wandered to, I decided it was best to leave him be and head back to the car.
This was a very memorable experience and I was very lucky that I was not attacked being in such close proximity. It helped back up my opinion that bears are not bloodthirsty killers as they are sometimes perceived and as long as you give them no reason to be aggressive they with not harm you. With that being said great care should always be taken when traveling in bear country and you should always carry bear spray and keep 100 yards minimum distance between you and the bear when possible. This was an encounter I will never forget and was very fortunate to be able to have such an experience with such an amazing animal.