I actually wanted to work on pictures from NYC today but I feel like I have to put these out first... Yesterday we went for a hike with the interns at the lab. It was a mix of sun and clouds while we went up the (maybe a little too steep) trail to The Jump Off, a rock with pretty steep sides. Unfortunately, the the clouds were hanging quite low so we did not see the other mountains...
Nick couldn't help but rent a Ford Mustang, it was fun riding with him as a passenger though... :)
After the 5 mile hike, we went up to Clingman's Dome:
... and on the way back down something unexpected happened: we ran into a crowd that was watching bears. Three cubs trying to climb down a tree (apparently it is easier for them to get up there than to get back down).
The mother was around 10 meters away, first watching us but then deciding that we are no threat for her cubs and so she continued to look for food.
The mother went into the woods and came back, getting close to the path we were on. At first, people were kinda nervous because of her but then we slowly walked towards the bushes where she was eating. It was fascinating and scary at the same time.
We got pretty close, today I would say we were a little too close. Luckily, nothing happened and we all got home, very excited and happy about this encounter.
UPDATE: I think I should mention that we never left the path to get closer to the bear. The bear was sitting in a bush close to the path we were on and we did not follow her into the woods or bushes.
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