When going for a hike, the body gets to decide when it's enough. The mind tends to get one in trouble. For me the right length for a hike is where I can still follow through with the plans for the following day. For this hike I hit the road as soon as daylight showed up. About a kilometer in, I was off the road to check what was happening along the river. When the final destination is not that important, going from A to B as fast as I can is also not that important. It’s more like Billy in the Family Circus, always taking the long way.
About 5 kilometers in, I wandered away from the road toward the river again. Among other things I saw a day old grizzly bear tracks in the snow, heading in the same direction as I. Got back on the road, taking pictures along the way. Two kilometers later I see more grizzly tracks, this time on the road, clearly visible in the light fallen snow from the night before. Tracks were the same size as before, of a large grizzly, but these were only a few hours old. The bear was wandering on the road before going in the direction as I. Not far from the road, it rubbed on a tree before moving farther away. From there I decided to stay on the road as the walk continued. I was getting warm, another layer came off and I kept the camera in my hands after trying to take a few pictures of chickadees I came across.
I was about a kilometer from the last track’s sighting, 60 to 70 meters in front of me a large grizzly bear popped onto the road, one paw at a time from the left side. It was M136, or better known by his street name, “split-lip”. He looked toward me as I stood there, middle of the road with my right hand touching the bear spray container. After a quick look he started crossing the road and I relaxed. He stepped off the road and a few seconds later he started moving away from me. Soon he was out of my sight, I then walked to the spot where he got on the road to observe and take pictures of his fresh tracks. The legs were still feeling good, but this was a good time to listen to the mind. And it was telling me to head back.
