Bear-ish Encounters

While I began this journey haunted by dreams of bears, actual sightings of the charismatic animals have been practically non-existent since our first encounter in Montana. Sightings of other bear-like things however have been plentiful. So in lieu of actual bears, here are a few images of bear-named or bear-related things. Oh, and consequentially, my bear dreams have been replaced by dreams populated by humans. When in town, dream of animals. When in the wild, dream of people. Interesting juxtaposition. As are some of the following images.

Beargrass

Beargrass is a plant as charismatic as the animals they are named for. In mid-July tall, spikey white blooms stood higher than my head on many of the slopes in Glacier National Park. Dale and I acted as beargrass pollinators every time we brushed against their multi-flowered stalks. Stunning.

By late August the beargrass plants had gone to seed (seen here on a slope in Idaho's Selkirk mountains). Bears use their giant paws to dig up the plant's roots for nourishment.

Bearblood

Early in our hike we noticed this unusual red spattering across the leaves of many mountain maples. We're told its common name is bear blood, though we are not sure if its actually a rust or a fungus. Nor do we know why its called “bear” blood, and not “deer” or “elk” blood. It does stand out among the otherwise green forest understory, and provides a rather lovely contrast.

Bearberry

This is one of my favorite plants. I know it as kinnikinnick, but it is also commonly referred to as bearberry. Even its scientific name, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi refers to its connection with bears. In the spring this low-growing ground cover has rather diminutive, but lovely bell-shaped flowers. It truly comes to life in the fall when its bright red berries herald the coming winter. Bears gorge on these fruits and their scat is littered with its hard seeds. (I can't recall if the berries are edible for humans, though my recollection of trying them is a memory of puckering my cheeks against their tartness.)

Bear Scat

We have certainly seen a lot of bear scat along our journey, even if the animals themselves are scarce. We were told the huckleberry crop in Montana and Idaho was especially good this year, which may explain the lack of bears in our general vicinity. Or maybe it was just the smell of our shoes that kept them away. This scat has bearberry seeds in it.

Bear Hang

When there are bears around, or the potential of bears around, it's a good idea to hang your food high out of a paw's reach.

Bear Butt

Six weeks after our first bear sighting in Montana we finally got a glimpse of a small black bear crossing a forest service road in the Colville National Forest, Washington. A very exciting, if brief rear-end encounter!

Bare Butt

Okay, I couldn't resist this play on words. There is nothing quite like setting your bare butt on a throne toilet with a view like this one...bears or no.