It’s not unusual to come upon plumes of steam coming from the ground when you’re hiking in Yellowstone. You just walk around the vent, and keep on your way.
Sometimes though, the steam in front of you is not what you think.
If you’re starting a walk across a meadow on a cold fall morning with the sun glaring in your eyes, I have a bit of advice.
Look out!
That little column of steam may be coming from something a little scarier than a hole in the ground.
Yep. You guessed it. It’s a bear. A grizzly bear.
The ravens hanging around him are a good hint that he’s got something to eat.
And we all know that a grizzly bear is kind of OK with the ravens hanging around, but he’s not so willing to share his breakfast with you and me.
Time to retreat.
We could see him just fine from the safety of the road.
Off the Beaten Path: Hikes, Backpacks, and Travels 
What an amazing thing to witness and to capture it… WOW!
Ya gotta love wildlife, don’t you? Thanks.
Wow, that’s a big bear. Cool pics, thanks
🙂
As you can see, we’ve been tracking some really dangerous creatures too: https://vimeo.com/110316727
Love it!
Very cool! He must have been hot.
It was pretty darned cold out, too. Thanks.
Loved this!
I’m glad. Thanks!
Nice to have an early warning system like that. That must have been a fun experience.
Would have been pretty rough without a warning, that’s for sure. Scares me to think about. But definitely fun after the fact.
Holy cow, that’s quite a hiking adventure! Thanks for sharing the grizzly photos…really fantastic!
Thanks! Glad we didn’t get any closer.
Oh my. Aren’t they supposed to be hibernating by now? What an interesting thing to run across!
I took these in early October, so he was busy getting fat before the big sleep. Our recent cold snap should be sending them into hibernation now, though. I hope.