Breakfast in Bear Country

You haven't really lived until you've heard a grizzly bear roar while eating breakfast at your backcountry campsite.

What started as a peaceful backpacking trip quickly turned into a wild morning we won't soon forget.

Earlier that week, my wife Cortney and I had planned a three-day backpacking trip to a scenic alpine lake high in Montana's Mission Mountains Wilderness. Covering nearly 75,000 acres, the wilderness is a rugged landscape of snowcapped peaks, glaciers, alpine lakes, high mountain meadows, and cold, clear mountain streams.

Our adventure began with a long, scenic drive to the trailhead. Navigating Montana's backroads is always an adventure in itself, and the final stretch took us up a narrow, winding dirt road high above the Seeley-Swan Valley, with incredible mountain views the entire way.

We arrived at the trailhead around 6 p.m., already getting a later start than planned. A series of high-water crossings slowed us down even more, eventually forcing us to abandon our original destination for the evening. Instead, we took a short spur trail to another lake about halfway into the hike and decided to make camp there.

As we searched for a campsite in the fading light, a bald eagle lifted gracefully from a perch near the outlet of the lake. After setting up the tent, I started collecting firewood while Cortney prepared dinner. Later, we built a small fire and settled in with some hot cocoa.

There was a new moon that night, and the sky was incredibly clear. While we sat stargazing, I remembered an app on my phone that identifies stars and constellations in real time. I pointed it toward the sky and started exploring.

When I came across Serpens, I was reminded of a snake we'd encountered earlier that day—one that had caused our husky, Aspen, to jump straight into the air as if someone had lit a fire under her!

Apparently, Aspen had a fear of snakes.

Another constellation directly overhead was Ursa Major, the Great Bear. Given where we were, that seemed particularly appropriate. The Mission Mountains Wilderness is home to a remarkable variety of wildlife, including grizzly and black bears, mountain lions, wolverines, lynx, mountain goats, elk, bobcats, mule deer, white-tailed deer, and countless other species.

With the stars overhead and the mountains reflected in the lake, I took the opportunity to make a few photographs along the shoreline. The surface of the water had become perfectly still, reflecting the snow-covered mountains towering above us. Eventually, the fire burned down and it was time to turn in.

I woke early the next morning, as I usually do, to photograph the sunrise. Afterward, I spent some time exploring around camp and stumbled across something I wasn't expecting to find.

In one of the snowfields just behind our campsite were the fresh tracks of a wolverine. What a find! In all the years I've spent in the mountains, I'd only encountered wolverine tracks once before, and that was in Glacier National Park.

I followed the tracks for a short distance before returning to camp to tell Cortney what I'd found. We sat down to eat breakfast—wild berry Pop-Tarts, which Cortney insists she made from scratch using wild berries she collected.

As I sat there, I glanced toward a rock near the lakeshore and thought about how great it would be if a wolverine happened to emerge from the forest and stand on that rock long enough for me to get a few photographs.

Keep dreaming, Zack!

Five or ten minutes passed. Every so often, I'd glance back toward the rock, half expecting to see something. Then something caught my eye just above it. I grabbed my camera and quickly realized it was a bear. Did it smell those delicious wild berry Pop-Tarts Cortney had supposedly slaved over all morning? Perhaps so.

Despite being only 60 or 70 yards away, I couldn't determine whether it was a black bear or a grizzly. From where I was sitting, I could only make out its ears as it moved through the brush.

I motioned for Cortney to come over. The bear either spotted her or caught the scent of us and the dogs. It gave a loud huff and disappeared into the forest. We waited. Another ten minutes passed without seeing or hearing anything.

Then I heard a loud crack. The dogs immediately jumped to their feet and began furiously sniffing the air. I knew the bear was still there. I slowly repositioned myself for a better view, and this time I could see something moving through the trees. When I raised my camera, there was no mistaking it.

A grizzly bear.

To top it off, it was standing over a carcass that was partially buried by snow, less than 70 yards from our camp. This was not a situation I wanted to be in.

The bear seemed to know we were there. A few times it looked in our direction, but otherwise it paid relatively little attention to us. I started recording video and watched it through my camera for several minutes, trying to remain as calm and still as possible. The last thing I wanted was to give the bear a reason to think we were interested in its meal.

Given the circumstances, our options were limited. We could either wait for the bear to move away or pack up camp and leave as quickly as possible.

Then the bear stood up and disappeared from view, so I stopped recording.

A moments later, the forest erupted with the sound of a grizzly roar. Twice.

The sound was unbelievably deep. It seemed to reverberate through the trees, drowning out everything else, even the rushing water of the nearby creek. I've spent a lot of time around bears, but hearing a grizzly roar at close range is something you don't forget.

I'm no bear expert, but I took the message seriously. The bear was telling us to stay away. And we listened.

I kept an eye on the bear while Cortney quickly began breaking down camp. I could see it moving around the trees near the carcass. A few minutes later, it returned and began covering the carcass with vegetation and debris. Once the bear was occupied, I joined Cortney and quickly stuffed the tent and remaining gear into my pack.

Then we headed down the trail. Fast.

We put as much distance as possible between ourselves and the bear before stopping to catch our breath.

Later that day, we eventually reached our intended destination, although not without getting lost on endless snowfields and adding another mile and a half to what was already a difficult hike.

Along the way, our other husky, Monty, discovered what he apparently considers a mountain delicacy: mountain goat fur. He ate just about everything that ever passed in the vicinity of his big mouth, so I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised.

That evening, we finally settled into camp and had time to think about what had happened earlier that morning. At the time, we were both pretty shaken. Looking back, though, the experience was incredible.

It was also a good reminder of why awareness matters so much when traveling through bear country. We had been sitting at camp, eating breakfast and enjoying the morning, when a grizzly appeared just a short distance away with a carcass. We never saw it coming, nor did we hear it. When we did notice it, you can believe that we were paying full attention, however.

Being aware of your surroundings, recognizing signs of wildlife, and understanding that you're a visitor in their environment can go a long way toward preventing a dangerous encounter. That brings me to a friendly reminder. If you're going to spend time in bear country, always carry bear spray, and, just as importantly, know how to use it.

The mountains don't always give you the experience you came looking for. Sometimes they give you something so much more than you ever imagined.