It was not my favorite trail. For two miles, I had worked my way in and out of forest cover, spotting one steamy sulfur flat…but otherwise, questioning my decision. I could have made it so much easy on myself by driving to the trailhead with direct access to Bunsen Peak. But no. I wanted more mileage and more elevation, so I started four miles away.

And while I wasn’t too happy with that decision, I had already started…so I might as well keep going. Semi-lost in my own head, but also paying attention to the sounds around me. Birds calling to one another…chipmunks yelling at their friends…the crunch of the trail underfoot..and then there was a different sound.

Something was crashing through the woods up ahead. It sounded like it was falling from the ridge of rocks lining the trail and it.just.kept.going. Was it a boulder? Was it a bear? The sound came to an end, but I could see the trees shaking in the path “the sound” had taken.

What. Was. That???

I stood where I was and waited. I took a few steps back and tried to get a better angle at the gully where the sound had stopped. Too many trees. I took a few steps forward. And there – movement! Coming up from the gully was an elk. Harmless.

But…

Had he haphazardly and graceless made his way down the mountain for no other reason that to reach this spot where he now stood relaxed and calm? Or…was something chasing him?

I continued forward at a slower pace, making more noise, swiveling my head back and forth…watching for any movement that didn’t align with the light breeze. The wooded trail soon opened up in to a rocky trail…large boulders surrounded the trail, creating the perfect hiding places for bears. I knew that the best bet to keep bears away was to make noise. So, I alternated between having elementary conversations with myself in French and adapting the Addam’s Family song to fit the situation.

Eventually, my untrafficked trail met up with the more trafficked trail directly to the peak that was my final destination. When I finally reached the peak, I sat there enjoying a protein pop tart (it’s a thing) and questioning my life decisions.

It took a substantial amount of work to talk myself into heading back to my starting place, knowing that I would have to cross through Grizzly Alley for a second time. The return trip created ample opportunity for me to compose a second verse to my “Grizzly Family” song. If you’re ever in need of a song to sing along a potential Grizzly-filled trail, let me know. Otherwise…no, you can’t hear it.