Bears

My experiences with Bears (outside of a car) was first in Yosemite on a trail up towards Yosemite Falls. At the time when we both saw each other we sort of both went in the other direction afraid of each other. I was 17 and walking along the trail alone and saw a bear. I had not weapons and wasn't prepared at all psychologically for this. So, I just went in the opposite direction and luckily so did the bear. I never forget how I felt in that situation.

My next experience I felt safer because my father and I were in my 1974 International Harvester Scout II 4 wheel drive with my then likely 5 to 8 year old son and we were very remote on a dirt road within 10 to 20 miles of my land then in the Mt. Shasta area. We were driving down a very remote dirt road that likely had been made for logging sometime in the 20th century when a bear crossed our path. It stood up on it's hind legs to fight us or to confront us. I'm not sure who was more surprised the bear or us. I backed the vehicle up so it wouldn't bite one of my tires and puncture it or break a window or a door out and try to cause harm to us. The bear just stood there for a moment and finally realized we weren't directly threatening it and finally got down on all fours and walked non-chalantly off into the forest.

My third experience is likely the funniest because it was a Grizzly bear in Yellowstone eating flowers in the summer (which is springtime for Yellowstone) because in the mountains you go from spring back towards fall and winter in places like that.

I saw the Ranger arrest someone for getting too close to the bear. The rangers do this because they don't want people injured and they don't want bears to get too used to people being that close either.

In 1958 when I was 10 my father and mother and a 5 year older male cousin and I went to Yellowstone and at that time 20 to 50 grizzly bears were being fed by people out their car windows. I think this was stopped by rangers eventually when bears found they could get more food (and freaked out people) when they just started ripping the doors off of cars to get at the food more easily. They do this by simply putting their claws where the door meets the body of the car and ripping the door off easily.

Another experience I was with my family camped near the trail up to Vernal Falls in Yosemite with my family.  We heard screaming and noise that night and soon we saw the shadow of a bear walk by our tent. After that, I got up and walked to where the noise and crying and yelling was only to see a Camper van ripped into pieces with food strewn all over the place as well as the people's possessions.

They must not have taken their food and thrown a rope over a high limb on a tree and put their food in a bag like they were supposed to.

However, anything like perfume or candy bars or insect repellent that smells strong can make them tear off doors, break windows out of vehicles or tear campers or motor homes apart with their claws.

So, if you have food or something that smells good to them don't think you are safe in your motor home or other vehicle.