I went out for a great mountain bike ride today. I ran into 5 bikers in two groups and 4 bears in two groups. Nice to see that humans are using the trails a little bit more than our furry friends!

One of the bear groups was a Momma and two cubs. I rode around a corner and they were grazing at a T intersection about twenty to thirty yards ahead. Momma went to the right of the path I wanted to take and the cubs to the left. I figured that even though nobody was being aggressive (unlike the boar I ran into the other day) I had time so I'd wait until the little family got back together before riding through. Then two young Tyros came flying down the path. I heard one call out 'bear cub' and I shouted 'The sow is on your left'. They rode to where I was and we chatted for a couple of minutes. Then I saw Momma raise her head from the bushes and quickly slip across the path to where the cubs had hidden. I figured that was the all clear and we all rode off on our respective trails.

I love these trails and hope the bears continue to use them and people respect them.