Here are a grizzly bear and two cubs, which crossed right in front of us while we were doing a hike. There were a fair number of people around. And the bear had somewhere she definitely wanted to be going. She didn’t even look our way, just kept on going and heading off with her two kids. So I wasn’t entirely shitting my pants. I still thought we should leave. But I was outvoted and we actually kept on.
We had bear spray. You have to have bear spray.
Posted on every trailhead:
Posted on some trailheads:
One nice-looking walk we wanted to do was entirely closed due to bears.
Tytania 
That’s crazy! My heart beats like crazy when I see a black bear around here, and that’s NOTHING like a grizzly. Now I’m thinking that maybe Yellowstone isn’t for me.
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Yes, I had a very constant, maybe not fear but shall we say “vigilance,” almost everywhere on this trip. Once we took a little 1-mile walk but we didn’t have our bear spray that day, and I just could not enjoy it. It helped when there were people around. When we would take a secluded hike, I felt more scared. I also respect Xopher’s judgment so when he felt safe it helped me feel safe. Just keep a healthy respect for the wildlife. It’s their home; you’re just visiting. And they just want to do their business just like you want to do yours; they don’t want to hurt you.
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Strictly by coincidence, I was reading my favorite blogger today who has just been on an African safari, and he writes, “At night the hyenas start chattering and sometimes there are lions too. They do not allow you to walk to your room at night unless you are accompanied by a Masai man with a spear, but that only adds to the fun.” So hey everything is relative.
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