It was one of my favorite weekends of the whole year; the weekend that my grandparents and I went on our annual trip. They always made the effort to do something special with each of their grandchildren, and as I love the outdoors, we always had wilderness adventures. Whether we spent the weekend on a houseboat, clam digging in Bodega Bay, parasailing on the coast, or camping deep in the woods, we were guaranteed to have a fantastic adventure.

This time, we were winding along a road deep in the Sierra’s, bouncing along in a little motor home. The world was so different up here; the cities and towns were made of trees and streams rather than buildings and roads. The peace of the forest combined with the mystery of the shadows drifting between the trees created a feeling of adventure. The dark green canopy tore away to reveal bright blue sky as we pulled up to the lake tucked away in this high corner of the world. It felt like a Disney fairytale; squirrels and rabbits frollicked in the tall grass while birds flew overhead singing their many happy tunes.

We would have three full days on the lake to paddle boats, go fishing, birdwatching and hiking through the forest. We pulled into the camping space and a family of foxes slipped quickly into the woods out of sight. We got our campsite set and ate our lunch and then decided to go for a hike around the lake. I started searching for my camera.

My grandpa told me I wouldn’t need it. “We aren’t going to see anything special at this time of day.” I agreed and we began to walk down the dusty trail along the edge of the lake. The farther around the lake we got, it became less of a stroll and more of a hike; we went from flat, smooth dirt to rocky, root filled inclines. The trees thickened and we ended up further and further from the water’s edge. Seeds and berries littered the path in large clumps held together with what appeared to be mud.

As we reached the top of a rise in the path, a sudden wave of musty heat hit us. Not normal heat created by the sun, but rather a humid, living heat. Suddenly, the snapping of twigs drew our attention to the top of the hill next to us. Not ten feet away stood a huge male bear. We froze...unable to move...we stood in silent terror and awe as the King of this forest stared us down. He was an imposing figure, his thick black fur steaming with heat, his piercing brown eyes looking directly into my blue ones.

I whispered to my grandparents not to worry, as long as he didnt rear up on his hind legs, we would be just fine. Sure enough, he lifted his huge frame onto his two back legs. His imposing figure became even more awesome and frightening. His head, with the glistening white teeth, sat atop the ten foot high body. His paw was the size of my face and could have taken it completely off in a single swipe. His large black nose sniffed the air, trying to decide what exactly we were.

He dropped back down and sat like the largest dog you’ve ever seen; his furry rump sat squarely on the ground with his front paws between his outstretched back ones.

After what seemed like hours, but what was really only a few minutes, we turned and began to walk away, constantly peering over our shoulders at the beast. Relieved, we kept walking down the path. The excitement began to wear off and the reality of what just happened began to sink in.

We continued to walk down the bear poo covered path when we heard the familiar snapping of twigs. I looked back and a familiar face greeted me. Within an arms length of where I stood, the bear was standing, looking down at us from a regal perch atop a hill.