Glacier National Park: Mountain majesty

"For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love. … It seems to me that Montana is a great splash of grandeur. The scale is huge but not overpowering. The land is rich with grass and color, and the mountains are the kind I would create if mountains were ever put on my agenda. … Montana has a spell on me. … Of all the states it is my favorite."

— John Steinbeck in Travels With Charlie

A couple of black bear cubs crawled from the woods to the bicycle path as if they were kids trying to cross the street without their mother’s permission. They were sleek and adorable, and we might have taken a closer look had we not assumed mama bear was keeping an eye on them.

We were some 50 yards away from the cubs, and they didn’t notice my wife, Barb, reaching for her camera. But before she could focus, the cubs spotted a man walking from the opposite direction. They ducked back into the woods, and one bolted up a tree.

Through the trees, we could see the mama bear. She apparently could see us, too, and took a few steps in our direction. We were at a safe distance and knew that black bears seldom attack people, but we also knew it would be a mistake to run.

A park video had warned us against triggering a bear’s instinct to chase. So, as the video instructed, Barb, our son, Steve, and I announced our presence to make sure we weren’t startling the bears. We slowly retreated to show we were neither fearful nor threatening.

Glacier National Park http://www.nps.gov/glac/

By JONATHAN RAND
Special to The Star

Full Story: http://www.kansascity.com/707/story/845627.html