Unexpected encounter

A dreadful photo, but I was determined to post one shot from yesterday, for my own record, as I believe this was the first Grizzly Bear I had seen in the wild. Also couldn't resist sharing how my day started off yesterday! Friends, Dorothy and Stephen, had arranged a great day trip to the mountains for several of us and it turned out to be so amazing and enjoyable, spoiled only by the fact that they returned to the parking lot to meet someone who had arranged to be there at noon, but never showed up. The rest uf us had continued on, and for us it was a day of finding all sorts of interesting things, especially fungi : )

The day started off and ended in a way that none of us had expected, ha! When we arrived at the parking lot for the Mt. Everest Trail, two guys told us that there was a Grizzly sow and her cub right in the wooded area near the parking lot. Sure enough, before too long, we caught sight of their movement through the trees. After much deliberation, we all decided that it would not be wise to start on that hike, as we had no idea whether the bears might also decide to start up that trail. So, we hung about in the parking lot, spotting the bears from time to time as they made their mostly-hidden way in a large circle around us. Two or three times, we got a very quick look at them when they came into the open. Words can't describe the feeling of seeing a Grizzly Bear so close - a total mix of excitement and healthy caution and fear! The early morning sunlight was just too much for my little point-and-shoot camera and I could see that my photos were very blown-out. Darkened this one and managed to at least get a very slight improvement : ) After this encounter, we decided to drive to a different area of Kananaskis Lakes and do the Sarrail Creek Falls Trail, like we did a year ago. There were SO many people doing this walk - this is a holiday long weekend (Heritage Day today). We finally knew we had to go home, but not before calling in at the Boulton Creek Trading Post for an ice-cream. Imagine our amazement and joy when we later spotted a beautiful Black Bear at the side of the road near the Nakiska area - it immediately turned and headed into the bushes, so no chance for even a poor shot. What a way to start and end the day - with the sight of Bears : ) The weather co-operated, with the day starting off pleasantly cool, though it ended up too hot for our liking. Blue skies, amazing scenery, all sorts of things to photograph and, last but definitely not least, the much enjoyed company of friends. Thanks so much, Dorothy and Stephen, for organizing this great day for us all! Thanks so much, Sandy, for driving some of us! Much appreciated.