Black Bear

The day that my son, Curtis, and I came off the AT at Clingman's Dome, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, we ran into this Black Bear. He sat there about another five minutes feeding on the plants and keeping a wary eye on us (and us on him!), then took off up the steep grade like it was flat terrain. I wish I could travel uphill like that! Curtis took this July 2004 image.