You know, it’s hard to decide whether you’re going to be afraid of a bear. We were raised on Yogi and Boo Boo. They weren’t about to scare anybody. Ranger Smith was a little “off,” though. Something not quite right about that guy. I imagine he eventually got a job with the TSA to get in on all the frisking. Yogi Bear and Boo Boo went back to raiding pic-a-nic baskets in peace.

So we all slept with a teddy bear when we were little, and we have trouble ginning up any terror when a bear’s around. They all look like you could rub them behind the ears like a big dog or something. Of course a Kodiak bear sometimes pushes 1500 pounds on the scale, and could take you apart with one swipe of a paw. As long as there’s enough salmon for everyone, they seem too lazy to bother.

I think bears must talk to each other. They were all down in the stream grabbing fish as they went by, and they said, “Hey Fred, we dare you to go sit next to the human.” Challenge accepted.