While my sister was visiting last month, we took a trip to Eagle River Nature Center. Having never been there, we weren't sure what to expect. The drive beyond the town of Eagle River was gorgeous with glimpses of mountains and river despite lingering wildfire smoke.
The Center was closed that day so we weren't able to tour the visitor center or get in-person advice on the best trails, but we had a pretty good idea which paths we wanted to take. A dry erase board out front advised folks which trails are frequented by bears, and moments later we saw the first of many large piles of bear scat. We hesitated a bit but then decided to continue. Living and working in Yellowstone is where I accepted the risk of hiking in bear country, but that doesn't mean I don't get nervous. It does mean I make a lot of noise on the trail. After coaching my sister on what to do if we were to see a bear or be approached by a bear, we set off.
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| part of the Albert Loop Trail |
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| seemed like fairies should have been flitting amongst the Wild Irises |
She laughed a lot as Tim and I yelled out "hey bear!" while clapping our hands and sang a lot of silly songs quite loudly. I kept telling her "you want that bear to know you're coming." Well, we never did see a bear - black or brown. This is probably a good thing since we were distracted by the scenery in several places. What a beautiful place to spend the day.
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| lovely columbine - this coloring is called Granny's Bonnets, Wild Columbine, Western Columbine or Canada Columbine |
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| Fireweed along the banks of Eagle River |
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| This is Yellow Dryas, post-bloom with its "hairy" seeds. |
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| A quick search of a US Forest Service website shows this could be Lungwort aka lung lichen, a food source for many forest critters and insects. |
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