Part of the Yellowstone Fish Crew reunion was a hike to an old bear den led by the park's bear biologist. We headed out on a trail and enjoyed some great views.
Desert Girl did a little hiking with her new friend Josie.
Then, all of a sudden, the folks ahead of us got off the trail and waved us off. We had an inkling of what might be up ahead.
A bear! Actually, two bears, a mom and her cub, were walking down the trail towards us. We moved well off the trail to give them plenty of room.
I was grateful for my new camera lens with more zoom and for post-processing cropping!
The bears were spell-binding, and we watched them for quite awhile.
The little one wanted to get a better look at what was going on so stood up several times.
Mom went back to eating, but the young'un kept an eye on us.
Finally they meandered out of sight, and we continued our hike to the bear den.
The den was under a tree, a shallow hole. Desert Boy climbed into it.
The kids thought it was pretty cool. I was surprised by how close to the surface the den was. It didn't seem like it would give all that much protection in the winter. The bear must have made it, though, as it wasn't inside!
On the hike back, my former boss took Desert Boy, which was a welcome relief. Desert Boy was a demanding train, so it was nice to get a little break.
We all enjoyed the spectacular views of Yellowstone. We saw lots of other hikers on the trail, soaking in the beautiful day.
What an exciting hike!
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