One of the most terrifying and exhilarating experiences of my life happened in Yosemite. We arrived this afternoon, got one of the last two spots in White Wolf campground, and set up camp. Around 3 we headed out on a hike to a couple of lakes around our campsite. We planned to hit Lukens Lake and possibly Harden Lake just depending on time. We'd almost reached the lake when we heard something break branches and scurry away. As I turned, I saw a flash of golden hair, larger than a person but running on all fours. Mike and I froze and tried to see if we could see what had run off. We watched for what felt like an eternity, and then I said that I wanted to see if it was behind us. As I turned to look, I heard Mike say, "Jamie, it's on the trail." I turned around and saw a dark brown bear, a Black Bear, watching us. It wasn't growling or posturing in any way, simply watching us. I grabbed the bear spray out of the holster on Mike's pack and began walking backwards. The bear watched us for a minute, and then turned and headed off into some rocks. We headed back to camp.
We gave up on hiking and finished the evening with some drinks and a campfire. I'm pretty sure I didn't sleep at all, just waiting for the bear to enter our campsite!
We didn't take pics of the bear (even though Mike said he wants to next time we see one... I disagree) but attached are some pics of where we saw it.
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