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The Grizzly Bear and Me- Surprised on Both Sides
This is my true story about a close encounter with a grizzly bear. We both lived to tell our tale...me on this web page and him probably to his brother. My grizzly tale begins with me driving leisurely down the Moose-Wilson Road towards Teton Park. My friend Terry was ahead of me in her own car and she called me on my cell phone to let me know that there was a bear sighting at the park entrance in Moose. This was exciting news because I had my new 300 mm lens with me. Unlike last year, I was ready for some good wildlife shots. In the past, my wildlife shots usually had the animals looking very far away, sometimes even if they weren't that far. So, I pulled over and quickly put my telephoto lens on my Nikon D70. Placing it in my lap, ready to go, I drove on to the park entrance. When I got there, the cars were lined up on both sides of the road, with a park ranger trying unsuccessfully to get people out of the road itself. I was told it was a young grizzly...one that had recently been frequently spotted with his mother and fellow boy-cub. His mother was known as #399 and apparently, she had just recently tried to get her cubs to go off on their own (rumour has it, so she could hook up with a new boyfriend). So, this was probably #399's disgruntled adolescent son. When I arrived, it was too late to really see much. He was ambling off, across the sage-filled meadow. Hmmm. I realized he was heading towards the road I'd just been on. So, I got in my car, camera with big lens on my lap again, and whipped back around to where I'd been. Priding myself on my cleverness, I got back onto the Moose-Wilson Road and slowed down as I approached the other side of that meadow. I was creeping up very slowly as I approached the meadow. I lowered the window on the passenger side, in hopes of getting my shot from the car (recommended with approaching grizzlies). I was driving my hybrid car, which is silent at very slow speeds. Creeping up past a stand of aspen trees, I stopped to look. The young grizzly was right there, behind some large sage shrubs. He was as shocked as I was because he didn't hear the car approaching!! He rose up on his back legs, to a height of about six feet and was about six or seven feet (ten max) from where I sat in my car, with no window between us. I think we both were scared! With trembling hands, I picked up my camera to try to get the shot. I had the telephoto lens on! I was TOO close. I made a lame attempt to focus, but was shaking and flustered and too close. The picture I got is here...a profile of a grizzly bear leaving. He walked just behind my car, crossed the road and took off. I barely managed another shot of his departure, with lots of adrenaline pumping through my veins. I wonder what he thought of our close encounter. I thought it was awesome and exciting; the encounter of a lifetime!! The grizzly is often associated with Yellowstone National Park's Hayden Valley. I have seen people stopped in that valley, taking photographs with lenses that require their own tripod. That's the usual encounter with grizzlies in this country. #399 and her cubs were unusual in that regard. When you visit the national parks here, I hope you're as lucky as I was, but maybe you should keep the window up.
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