JMT and Bear Spray.

Ive seen all these guys on the trail and never had a problem…always stoked when I have time to snap a photo. I think bear spray would be way overkill.

The first one is the biggest bear ive ever seen in the Sierra Nevadas

There is a bear who hangs out near the big falls on the way to Paradise Valley in Kings Canyon. I clapped and yelled at him but he just gave me a weird look. Not scared at all.
(My friend is in the foreground)

"The first one is the biggest bear ive ever seen in the Sierra Nevadas"

It probably did not get that way from stealing pic-a-nic baskets.

–B.G.–

Here is your basic Kings Canyon black bear, not far from Paradise Valley.

Now, the poor thing was half scared to death, which is why he climbed the tree. How could anybody even consider using bear spray on the critter?

–B.G.–

I love all of the bear photos! keep em' coming…although I'm not sure if the OP will want to show this thread to his fiance now : ))

Justin is it just me or is that bear basically ignoring you guys? I think your Sierra bears are a hoot. Where I live bears actually run away when they see you they don't look the other way as if humans without pic-a-nic baskets are so boring.

…Keep'em coming. Just found out (due to work issues) that I will be doing the JMT solo now. Can we turn this thread into the 'Post photo's of the animals you have run into on the trail' thread?

Sorry I almost had a picture of a Greenback Reticulating Grizzly but he got away too fast. Very rare critter.
Have to see if I can dig up the picture of the Flat Toothed Beach Bear I saw when I was staying with that tribe of pacifist headhunters off the Iowa coast…

In the meantime here's the bear in Alaska that gave us a bit of a scare.

We first saw this guy higher up on the mountain. We came over a ridge and suddenly there's yogi. He was stanging with his front paws on a rock so for a brief minute he looked like he had the raised shoulders of a grizzly. As soon as he took off running I could tell he was a black bear. We were above treeline in the snow so it was the last place I would have expected to see a bear of any kind. All the other bears I've seen have been gone before I could get my camera.

Dan your first pic is intimidating to me. Only seen a couple a bears, that one looks big and close. great pic. All of the ones I've seen were on the other side of the creek or something- fleeting views.

BG- yeah who could squirt a little scaredy bear like that. Poor little guy.

I'm assuming most of you have watched Skurka's video where he talks about literally scaring the s**t out of a bear when he was in Alaska?

Ya she was close, we actually walked up on her by accident on the bubbs creek trail in Kings Canyon. She had an adolescent cub with her than ran away before I could snap a shot. She was only about 30ft away…the only thing exasperating us was a down tree. I showed the picture to several rangers in Kings Canyon and they all said its the biggest bear they had ever seen in kins Canyon. One actually commented that it may have been a black bear/ brown bear hybrid. I didnt think those existed but he said there are possible rumors some are still around…crazy…

"One actually commented that it may have been a black bear/ brown bear hybrid."

That would be too weird.

Black bears come in a variety of dark colors, and I have seen a few monster bears out there. There was one by the name of Elmer who owned Whitney Portal Campground. Huge bear.

–B.G.–

I dont think the ranger was commenting on his color. I think he was saying that in the far past when there were still brown bears in california, that some may have procreated with black bears and there could be distant relatives of those being hybrids. The ranger specifically pointed out the shape of the bears front torso and shoulders. I find it a little crazy too…but I could see how its possible to have some type of hybrid out there.

Just outside Desolation Wilderness here in N Ca., I've seen a honey blonde one morning while I was finishing breakfast. Watched it tear into a log, I made a little noise to make sure it knew I was there. :)
Duane

@Luke
Yes, it was mostly ignoring us. Barely gave us a second look.

Maybe like Pizzly Bears?

"Brown bear/American black bear hybrids

In 1859, a black bear and a European brown bear were bred together in the London Zoological Gardens, but the three cubs did not reach maturity. In The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication Charles Darwin noted:

In the nine-year Report it is stated that the bears had been seen in the Zoological Gardens to couple freely, but previously to 1848 most had rarely conceived. In the Reports published since this date three species have produced young (hybrids in one case),…[1]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursid_hybrid#Brown_bear.2FAmerican_black_bear_hybrids

There are rumors or wolf/coyote hybrids around here lately.

—-

Watch those firearms in CA parks. As of 2012 open carry in CA is no longer allowed and the
National Parks follow the laws of the state.

David I don't know about your area but I remember reading that a lot of coyotes in the northeast have some wolf in them from cross breeding with Canadian wolves.