Momma and 2 Baby Bears above Chantry Flats (sorry, no pics…)

[Sewellymon]

Saturday just B4 dusk casual ride…my buddy Dave was injured to the extent he did not want to ride single-track (i.e., Upper Winter Creek to Lower Winter Creek). Plan B- the Chantry Fire Road to the Water Tank/ Microwave Towers/ Firebreak. Always mellow fun. Nice views yada yada.. I do recall telling Dave I encounter lots of wildlife on this road due to its relative remoteness.

If you’ve done this ride, you know from the top/ ride's end that the initial descent traverses the mountain North East before making a sharp switchback turn left/ due North. I pulled over at the sharp turn to let my friend catch up and I spy 2 baby bears and Momma 30 feet down the road! One baby runs up a tree, the other is bouncing around Momma. My buddy and I take a few steps backward, watch awhile, take a few more steps back, watch.. . Momma IS quietly huffing- her way of saying “back off, boys”. Things are at a bit of a stalemate - we need to continue down the road past the bears but we don't want Momma to charge or attack us. It seems Momma wants her brood to cross the road and head up into the woods, so we start hooting “get along little doggies” and this sends them ambling down the road and up into the embankment into the chaparral.

Very cool, eh? I’ve been hiking, backpacking, backcountry skiing, trail running, rockclimbing and mtn biking in the San Gabriels for 38 years and this was my first bear sighting (apart from the Sierra, Yellowstone, etc..).

[1080P]

Chilao is like that, too. I see lots of bear tracks most times going over to Mt Pacifico or Hillyer. There must either be some good grub or a lot of edible trash near by for them to make the trip.

[Burner]

very cool... this is why everyone needs a little point and shoot camera... you never know.

[Tedroy]

The critters ARE up there. I was up at buckhorn years ago
W/a girlfriend. We were "sunning" ourselves on some rocks when a racket erupted in the canyon below us. A bear was chasing a buck through the brush about 50 ft below us. Kinda put a crimp in my mojo if ya know where I'm goin.

[Sewellymon]

Happened again this late afternoon.

This time, I am riding down Valley Forge Trail on the backside of Mt. Wilson. 2 babies and Momma bear on the trail.

I am alone, nobody knows where I am, and it is 6:30 PM. Not a good time to get mauled by an angry mammal. So I was glad they all tore down the trail and up into the woods.

Different bears than the ones I saw above Chantry a few weeks ago.

Kewl stuff, just as long as there are no lions and tigers. Bears only, OK?

[Tedroy]

Are you some sort of critter magnet? Remind me to stay far off the back around you. Actually I'm envious of your close encounters. Glad to hear that the bears are out there and having cubs.

[strobelite]

buy a stinking camera already!