We enjoy the hike up to Specimen Ridge every chance we get. On this particular trip we had already hiked up to the top the day before I took this picture. The interesting thing is, this grizzly had come down out of a drainage that feeds off of Specimen Ridge, the very spot we had hiked the day before. Hmmm.

I stopped the car and pulled out the spotting scope as the bear and her cub ambled across the sage covered flats. I realized that if I stayed put she just might wander close enough to get some good photos. So we waited. In less than ten minutes she had not only wandered by but provided a once in a lifetime show for Sheryl and I and a couple of other folks that stopped to watch. She wandered across the road and stopped to feed on roots and tubers every few steps. After a short while she plopped her bottom down and called her cub. The cub ran over and climbed up on her chest. She then gently rolled on to her back and allowed the cub to feed for probably ten minutes. This was something to watch. The female laid back while the cub was hunkered down feeding like it did not have a care in the world. Eventually, the female slowly rose and they were off again at a slow stroll, digging and ambling. To view a sequence of photos of this experience, please click on the following links: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, and #8.

Grizzly bears (Ursus arctos as is used today or Ursus horribilis as has been used in the past to differentiate the grizzly from the larger coastal brown bear) are the true symbol of wilderness. Grizzlies need vast amounts of wild, roadless landscapes to breed, to forage, to avoid conflicts with humans, to survive. Today, in the lower 48, the grizzly only survives in and around the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), northwestern Montana in and around Glacier National Park, and into the Bob Marshall Wilderness and environs, and a small part of northern Idaho and Eastern Washington. Their is still speculation that this great bear survives in small numbers in southwestern Colorado. There is also speculation that the grizzly still survives in the great wild core of Idaho, in and around the Frank Church/River of No Return Wilderness, and the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. In fact, for several years, the Department of Interior under Bruce Babbit was taking input on the reintroduction of grizzlies into this vast wilderness of some 3.7 million acres of contiguous Wilderness and millions of acres of surrounding wild lands. Thus, providing a linkage from the GYE population and the northwestern Montana population. Alas, the Bush administration killed the idea and grizzlies once again fend off isolation, and genetic bottlenecking in the GYE. Lastly, the North Cascades in Washington have rumors of a few grizzlies hanging on for survival. A proposal has been drafted for reintroduction here as well, but the same social problems remain with the reintroduction of a large omnivore.

The grizzly, for what ever reason, is a much misunderstood animal. People fear, and are fascinated by, this incredible animal. It is this fear factor, rational or not, which keeps the grizzly on the edge of survival in the lower 48. If people had a greater understanding of the grizzly their fears could be alleviated. Are grizzlies dangerous? Yes, they can be if provoked or if bad judgment is exercised. However, their danger to man must be kept in perspective. Every time we go hiking in grizzly country some of my friends ask how we do it. Aren't we scared of being attacked? I like to answer it this way. For one, I have a greater chance of being killed on the drive to the trailhead than I do by a grizzly while out hiking. Two, of all the years we have been hiking in grizzly country we have never encountered a grizzly. The likelihood of seeing a grizzly while hiking is low. The likelihood of having a close encounter is lower still. And the likelihood of having a bad encounter is lower still. Therefore, do I worry about being attacked or killed by a grizzly. NO. I worry more about being attacked and killed by another human than I do a grizzly. Keep the danger of grizzlies in perspective.

For more general information regarding grizzlies, please try the "Field Guide To The Grizzly Bear" by the Great Bear Foundation. For in-depth information to bear attacks and their causes try Stephen Herrero's "Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance".