Encountering a Bear is Highly Likely

Bears are true symbols of the wild. It didn't take us long, traveling through bear country, to learn bears are real and incredibly powerful creatures. Only an hour into Banff, and we encountered not only our first bear, but our first Grizzly. I'm sure many people have already been lucky enough to find themselves in this sort of experience, but it was our first, and a very memorable moment. We arrived in Banff and were incredibly excited by the beauty it was showcasing. After finding a place to camp we were thrilled to go on an evening hike. We took the wrong trail, the sun was setting, and there were signs warning us everywhere that because of berry season, bear encounters were highly likely. We continued, of course. Within fifteen minutes the bushes started rustling 30 feet in front of us and a huge Grizzly showed his face full of berries. We looked at him, he looked at us, we backed away and he stuffed his face. Once backing around the bend we we hoped he would just go back to eating the berries as we hiked out of there fast. This was our super exciting encounter. We did realize how helpless we are when it comes to wildlife and nature. Our short time in Banff and the surrounding areas allowed us to run into six bears (one Grizzly and five Black Bears) all beautiful and amazing. Now, after our travels through Wyoming, Montana, and Canada we never leave without bear spray and our bear bell. Keep the bears safe and keep us safe. Bears are awesome!