Animal Sightings- Bears!

All told, we had great luck sighting animals this past year- grizzlies, black bears, moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, bison, wolves, foxes, coyotes, pronghorn, elk, deer, eagles, osprey, pikas, marmots, and more.  It is always a pleasure to observe a wild animal in its natural environment, and that is just how I like to keep it- natural.  No following, luring, or otherwise harassing wildlife and always utilizing a zoom lens to give animals their rightful space.  There is a disturbing trend, especially in National Parks, for tourists (aka tourons) to approach or even feed wildlife in an attempt to secure a coveted selfie.  This has unfortunately been going on for quite a while, but it is impossible to give social media a pass in terms of its role in aggrandizing this behavior.
It's a toss-up for the title of poster child of terrible tourist/wildlife behavior between Yellowstone and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks.  Having grown up in the Smokies, I have seen some unbelievably idiotic behavior, but I'm going to have to give a slight edge to Yellowstone because of the sheer availability and accessibility of wildlife lending to more frequent and infuriating interactions.  God bless the bison is all I can say.  Those poor creatures endure some of the most ridiculous antics, and honestly, it's miraculous they haven't injured more people.  Thankfully for the bison, who would undoubtedly pay with their lives the price for human stupidity, incidents have been fairly rare.  National parks are not petting zoos or a drive-thru game park.  Those exist, and if you really just want to be close to animals, please do the entire animal kingdom a favor and go there.  Go where they let you feed animals loaves of bread or wave at a grizzly bear.  Please.  If that is your idea of enjoying nature, please, by all means, do that.  Or go to a zoo.  I don't care, but please don't go national parks or really anywhere in the backcountry if that is your intent.  You do not belong.  Animals are not here for our enjoyment, and we are not entitled to see them, get close to them, or even have our picture taken with them.  Seeing animals in their natural habitat, even in a sanctioned park or wilderness is an incredible experience and one that should be treated with appropriate reverence and appreciation.

To recap, NO!

A few things, I use a Nikon DSLR, either a d750 or d850 with either a 28-300 mm lens or a 150-600 mm lens.  For reference, when you open your iPhone camera, it's at 35 mm, so 600 mm is a lot longer and is plenty long enough for me.  Anything larger, I wouldn't be able to afford it or carry it, so while there are shots where photographers are seemingly in the animals face (and unfortunately sometimes they are and can be the worst offenders, worse than any touron with a selfie stick), often times they are quite a distance away and can crop into the photo to make it seem closer.  
Now that I'm off my soap box, I figured I would share some photos and stories of some of my favorite wildlife sightings (some with and some without photos), starting off with everyone's favorite- bears!!

Grizzlies
All grizzly sightings are special.  They are simply incredible animals.  Their sheer size (up to 800 pounds) makes it almost unbelievable that they can reach speeds of up to 35 mph in only three strides and maintain that speed for 100 yards over rough, unforgiving terrain.  They are strong, powerful, intelligent, and contrary to many beliefs misdirected by movies and pop culture, they are NOT interested in hanging out anywhere around humans.

Our closest encounter with a grizzly was of course the one I did not get a photo of and for good reason.  We were hiking from our base camp in the Bob Marshall Wilderness to a different alpine lake for some cutthroat fishing when Shaun spotted the large head and humped back in the bushes along the side of the trail, just ahead of us.  The bear didn't stir, didn't alarm, and definitely did not see the need to step aside.  We retreated and waited a few minutes.  Neither of us are experts in animal behavior, but in general, it's pretty obvious when an animal is going to be a while, and as we were getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, we decided it was time to walk the two and a half miles back to our base camp.  There was no conceivable alternative route to circumvent the bear, so we decided to take a loss on the fishing and count ourselves lucky to have this encounter.

This trail was just a little overgrown!  This isn't too far from where we encountered the grizzly and underscores why it's important to make noise, as poor visibility can mean more than cloudy conditions

Several weeks later, we pulled into our campsite at Many Glacier in Glacier National Park around 3:30 or so.  Having skipped lunch, we were pretty hungry, so we walked to our picnic table and made a couple of sandwiches.  While sitting at the table, I glanced up on the hillside just above the Many Glacier Hotel and saw three specs.  "I see grizzlies," I said to Shaun.  When spotting wildlife from such a distance, you always feel kind of silly because for every time you are correct, there are a hundred other times you convinced yourself a tuft of grass or a boulder is the almighty grizzly.  I quickly grabbed my zoom lens and attached it to my camera body while Shaun grabbed his binoculars.  Sure enough, a mother grizzly and two yearling cubs grazed along the hillside.  We quickly forgot all about our sandwiches and made a plan to get a better look.  A few other campers and tourists had congregated in the parking lot, and we all enjoyed viewing them and even spotted another trio even further away, far along the hillside.  Having hiked in the area a few years before and also seeing grizzlies there, we had a pretty good idea of their general route which would eventually intersect with a popular trail about 2 miles from the lodge area.  We had no plans of seeking out the grizzlies, just finding a better vantage point, so we set out on that trail to find a clearer view.  No luck, so we decided to head down to a lake where we knew moose sightings were common, more on that later.  As we left the lake, we decided to head back a different trail that led to another clearing, well before the likely intersection point of bears and trail.  We found a nice clearing and two other photographers watching them from about 150 yards away (the recommendation from the National Park Service is 100 yards).  The crazy thing is, hikers were coming down the trail and didn't even realize there were bears heading their direction (the bears were in fact heading toward the trail but on a diagonal course).  A few of them stopped, and we let them look through our cameras or binoculars.  A few of them started walking even faster back to the trailhead.  It was a great experience to watch them and appreciate their size and grace.  As the bears continued to move in the direction of the trailhead, everyone who had gathered decided it was a good time to head home and allow the bears unencumbered access to whatever part of the trail they desired.  It was one of my favorite group wildlife encounters I've ever had.  Everyone did the right thing!

This is a second year cub!

So beautiful, even from a loooong distance

Early the next morning, we saw one of the same sets of bears just off the roadside, but once a few cars pulled up, they were gone in a flash.

Fattening up for the long winter

People are here?  Time to leave.

This past spring, we were fortunate to get a glimpse of a mother grizzly and two fairly newborn cubs moving across a large field in the shadow of the Grand Teton.  It was getting closer to dusk, and they appeared to be on their way to their sleeping quarters for the night.  There is nothing cuter than seeing a grizzly bear cub stand on its hind legs, but mother bear didn't allow them to doddle for long.  It amazes me how intelligent mother bears prove to be.  One in two cubs doesn't survive to go out on its own, and while those sound like terrible odds, when you consider the environment in which they are tasked with living, it's actually quite remarkable.

Heading home for the night

Our last and probably most memorable grizzly encounter occurred as we were leaving Yellowstone this past spring and heading for Wyoming to visit some family.  You know the signs- cars pulled over (hopefully) on the side of the road.  Luckily, this bear was positioned nearby a parking lot, and we pulled in and grabbed a spot where we could easily see a huge grizzly dining on some kind of carcass (elk? bison?).  Again, most people had kept their heads, getting their photos and enjoying the view before giving way so others could see.

Yummy carcass!

Black bears
Probably the most memorable black bear sighting occurred in Lake Tahoe.  We had seen a mother and two cubs cross the highway in front of us a few hours earlier and after riding our bikes back to our campsite from the lake, we settled in to enjoy some juicy burgers.  A truck pulled up almost to our van and the passenger was saying something to me.  Chalk it up to hunger, but I thought she was asking if they could camp next to us which seemed weird.  I must have said "huh?" at least three times, but after the third time I recognized she was saying "bear" and pointing.  Sure enough, probably ten yards from me, the same mother and two cubs were just casually strolling through our campsite.  I immediately moved toward the van, and as they kept moving, I grabbed my small camera.  They went straight for the bear boxes, as if they knew where all the food was.  In another, surprising instance of people doing the right thing, everyone in the campground started banging pots and pans trying to scare the bears off and back into the woods.  I snapped a couple of pics of them as then went by us but left them in peace and went to neighboring campsites to warn them in case the bears headed toward their dinner as well.  While this experience was the most memorable, it was also one of the saddest, as it reflected the current state of the black bear population in Tahoe.  A growing percentage of bears in that area are no longer hibernating as one of the primary reasons for hibernation include lack of food sources due to winter weather and climates.  The bears are finding plenty of food foraging through garbage in the surrounding neighborhoods.  This increases the likelihood of human-bear encounters and habituation overall- a grave situation for the bears.

I fear these clearly habituated bears will have an unhappy ending eventually

Another black bear sighting in Yellowstone still makes me extremely angry and involves a photographer who called herself a professional (she wasn't) who actually interfered when a mother black bear was trying to reunite with her third cub who had become stranded on a bridge, blocked in by numerous cars, including ours, who were actually trying to do the right thing but got caught wrong place, wrong time.  The bears were driven closer to us by people acting inappropriately, blocking them from their desired escape route.  I can't repeat the things I said (yelled) to this woman/photographer, but she was and is in fact a horrible human who either doesn't know or care how to behave properly around wildlife.  It was absolutely terrifying for the bears, and looking back, I wish I would have grabbed her camera and thrown it off the bridge, but then I also would have been too close to the bears.  Anyway, I don't really want to talk more about that, but here's a brief video of these poor animals in distress.  

One more time for emphasis: animal sightings are a memorable and enriching part of any outdoor adventure, but we should always act with utmost respect toward our four legged forest friends.  Never approach or follow wildlife, this includes offering them snacks- I still can't believe people do this.  The National Park Service requires at least 100 yards between you and the bear (of course sometimes this can't be helped).  A handy trick is the thumb test.  Hold up your thumb in the direction of the bear, if the bear is obscured, you're good.  If you can see any of the bear, move further away.  Repeat until you are in a safe zone.  Bears are not inherently dangerous, but as with any wildlife, coming between a mother and its young is a precarious situation at best.  Back away calmly but immediately.  Speak calmly to the bear as you back away, and resist the urge to turn and run.  Wild animals are highly instinctual, and bears have a high prey drive (grizzlies more so, but don't be lulled to sleep by the goofy black bear).  Sending them the message that you are potentially a meal is the absolute wrong thing to do, in other words, you will have a bad time.

Keep following along as I'll be recounting other animal encounters in the future, and in the interim, give the bears their space and enjoy the outdoors!

  
    

Cutty Water

I suppose everyone who fishes for trout has a favorite fish.  They may tell you they like the ones that are eating, especially the big ones, but deep down, they have a favorite species, and I am no different.
For me, it's the cutthroat.  Colorful, lovers of purple, and drawn to the most beautiful places on earth- those are the common traits we share.  At times frustratingly indecisive and skittish yet conversely, they can demonstrate remarkable aggression and power.  Depending on who you ask, they may tell you cutthroat and I share those traits as well (are all cutthroats Libras like me?)

I think another reason I love them so much is because my first time targeting them was so special.  I have only been fly fishing for about two and a half years now, but two summers ago, Shaun and I took off to Idaho for some backcountry fishing.  I didn't really know much about cutties, but I love backpacking and was growing to love fishing as well.  We set out on the dusty trail, the river carving along steep canyon walls on both sides, the summer wildflowers long gone in this late August heat.  We gained and lost ground, moving both closer and farther from the river, occasionally finding a reprieve from the heat in a small clump of trees.  From the high vantage points, we could see down on the river, not quite a bird's eye view, but sufficient enough to notice just how pristine and clear the water was- we could see straight to the river stones, even in the deeper pools.  We hiked probably four miles and found a secluded campsite near the banks of the river, shrouded in tree cover for shade (you should never camp directly on a body of water for many reasons- if you have questions, ask). We settled into the familiar routine known to all backpackers: set up the tent, hang the bear bag, eat a snack, etc.  It was nearing evening now, so we decided to go ahead and have dinner, which we cooked on the river bank, well away from our tent (grizzly territory), before hanging the bag again and deciding to try our hand at some fishing.  In the summer, we wet wade which means no waders, no boots, just shoes/sandals and whatever clothes you are wearing.  In extreme heat, the cold mountain streams are refreshing, and in the early mornings, they are chilling!  This evening however, it was an even more welcome treat since our feet were tired from walking.

Camp is all set up, now it's time to fish 

Some of the views along the way

Late evening catches

Such beautiful fish

One thing about cutties is they have smaller mouths than say a rainbow or brown or brook trout, so it's easier to miss the take because they don't get the fly in their mouths, so instead of instantly trying to set the hook, you have to pause, just slightly, to make sure.  So much of the instinct of fishing is reacting quickly to a take, but with cutties, you have to finesse it just a little more, which I like, but it can be frustrating, and as someone who hadn't fished dry flies much at that point, I was worried I wouldn't even know what was happening.  In truth, I didn't at first, but after a few misses, I hooked and landed my first ever wild cutthroat trout.  Nothing special size wise, but what a beautiful fish.  Sparsely spotted along its belly which is a blushing color, the spots grow denser as you move toward the tail, and of course, there is the characteristic slit under its mouth, hence the name.  I have no idea what it is for.  To my knowledge there is no evolutionary benefit of the cut, but aesthetically, it just sets them apart so beautifully from other fish.  We caught tons of fish that weekend, and the striking beauty of those fish had me all in on catching more.

This is the fish that accelerated my fishing journey

Wet wading on a cold August morning calls for winter clothes and summer shoes

Fast forward a bit, and Shaun and I were engulfed in our year long travel adventure.  When there is time, and even when there isn't, a place I always want to go is Jackson.  I know, I know.  Jackson, Wyoming- home to billionaires who drove the millionaires out of town.  Jackson, full of opulent homesites that sit empty for most of the year except when the socialites and oil money owners decide it's cool to be seen there.  Jackson, where people pay $600 a month to park a van or pitch a tent on a concrete pad with no water or electricity hook-ups.  Jackson encompasses so much of what is wrong in this country- where the income discrepancy among residents is unreckonable, where rich, white people vote in support of harsh immigration policies despite the fact their town would absolutely collapse without undocumented workers.  But the thing about Jackson is, if so many people on the wrong side of the income gap endure such ridiculous living conditions, it must be friggin worth it, right?  To me, the answer is a resounding yes.  I've been lucky to visit numerous mountain ranges all over the world, and Tetons captured my heart the first time I ever laid eyes on them and essentially wove themselves into my soul, never to depart.  And the fishing, oh the fishing- the Snake, Hoback, and Gross Ventre rivers are unrivaled in their scenery. Nestled in the shadow of the Tetons, each river has been very generous to us, yielding numerous and sizable Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat trout and the always coveted solitude.  From moose and otter sightings to wolf prints and elk skeletons, the mountain views aren't the only things that have kept our attention over the years.  

My favorite kind of Jackson local

There's a lot less river traffic when you fish the Snake in April

And the fish still eat

But fishing in late summer, early fall is something special

The biggest cutthroat I've caught in Wyoming was on the Gros Ventre 

I could barely hold it

Difficult to beat this backdrop

Great fishing on the Hoback River as well

I had become a more seasoned fisherwoman, catching more fish and becoming more okay with losing them knowing I could always catch more, which I believe is a natural progression in both maturity and experience.  I think that pretty much applies to fishing and to life.  If I go hiking, and the weather is not what I expected, maybe the views are obscured, am I disappointed?  Of course, but is it the end of the world?  No.  Sounds simple, but that perspective has eluded me much of my life.  Basically, the fishing had become less about the fish and more about the experience, and while the fish are certainly part of that and can enhance that, it wasn't an all or nothing deal anymore.  I've had plenty of wonderful days catching very few or even zero fish, and I'm okay with that most of the time.

Salmon River

Sometimes you hike a long way looking for fish 

And sometimes there isn't even a trail to get down, just an outlet stream

Wildflowers, outnumbered only by mosquitoes

Thankful for GPS devices that lead us here

Yellowstone Cutthroat in the high alpine

The best way to see Yellowstone isn't from your car

The further you walk, the fewer people you see

And the people you do see are awesome

Total relaxation

For reference, I wear a size 8.5

Always make time for good times

Between the two of us we caught one fish this day, and it was one of my favorites 

Fishing was cut short this day by hail, thunder, and lightning.  We also got to see first hand how a herd of bison reacts to a thunderstorm.  Not great but certainly memorable.

Fun backcountry finds

Sometimes you are being watched

And sometimes you do the watching

High on our fishing wishlist was heading up to Alberta to fish for cutties in the shadow of the Canadian Rockies.  The Bow River is the most famous, but we chose different options, lesser known to non-natives, but still extremely viable fisheries.  The Rockies themselves are something else, and if you can believe it, the Canadian Rockies are seemingly more grandiose and awe-inspiring than their neighbors to the south.  The people who think everything is bigger in Texas have never been to Alberta.  Here you can really visualize violent tectonic collisions forcing the earth upward, creating these unique formations that characterize the region.

Everyone should see the Canadian Rockies

So much beauty in all seasons

Make sense?

Oh, and the water isn't bad either!  Some of the clearest and cleanest habitat I have ever seen- perfect cutty water.  Cold, highly oxygenated mountain streams with large pools, abundant riffles, and more than adequate cover to protect these wild fish.  Habitat destruction is an issue that plagues so many wild species across the animal kingdom, and the cutthroat are not exempt.  Westslope cutthroat (abundant in our region) have disappeared in 94% of their native range according to US Fish and Wildlife (https://www.fws.gov/fisheries/freshwater-fish-of-america/westslope_cutthroat_trout.html). That is staggering information but unfortunately, not surprising.  Not to give Canada a free pass on environmental issues (looking at you, Trudeau, private Canadian mining companies tearing up South America, and the pipelines, I could go on), but if one wasn't plugged in to the situation, it would be difficult to discern any threat to wild cutthroat based on the waters around Alberta, specifically Kananaskis Country.  We concentrated our efforts on the Oldman River primarily and found abundant, healthy, and willing fish.  While it always feels good to put a fish in the net, I found myself more often than not, marveling at the environment in which they live as much or more than I was that characteristic cut under the mouth that first drew me to this species just the summer before.  Bushwhacking through grizzly country, climbing down ropes to reach waters deep within remote canyons, and finding the holy grail of accessibility to this river was every bit as memorable to me as the several 20" fish we caught.  Fishing in wind gusts of over 50 mph and having the fish still feeding like crazy, the deep runnels holding tons insect bearing moss causing the water to appear deep emerald, and the feeling of being uniquely enclosed in this natural world of canyons and pristine streams is what I love.  This is cutty water.

This is cutty water!!!

I like long walks on the beach

This was such a windy day, but the fish didn't notice

Long, peaceful walks in

Taking time to appreciate the surroundings

This was the easy way down

Great times here

Hard to believe wildfires were raging all across the country at the time this was taken 

Healthy cutties 

This is worth protecting

These fish are special

If you are interested in learning more about the numerous strains of cutthroat trout, here is a good summary:
https://www.hatchmag.com/articles/cutthroat-101/7712788
If you are interested in learning more about the conservation and recovery efforts of Yellowstone Cutthroat by Dave Sweet and his daughter, Diana Sweet Miller, the Return is an incredible documentary of their efforts and discovery in the remote landscapes and far reaches of Yellowstone National Park, see:
https://vimeo.com/306866505
https://flylordsmag.com/2019/03/05/f3t-behind-the-lens-the-return/
Proper fish handling is paramount to protecting these wild and native fish.  The great folks at Keep Em Wet Fishing have established evidence based guidelines for how to ensure the fish we love can live their best lives with minimal interference from humans:
https://www.keepemwet.org