A BEAR STORY

Five intrepid Village hikers braved the heat and did a hike up the Arroyo Seco on the Gabrieleno Trail above JPL on Friday morning, August 12. The hikers were Ron Scott and his dog Skipper, Dan Guerrero, Valerie Jones, Jo Yeargin, and John Jackson. They reported that the nighttime cool in the canyon lasted long enough so that the daytime heat did not become oppressive before they finished the hike.

Their effort was rewarded by encountering first a deer, then a bear, crossing their path. The bear kept ambling up the trail towards our hikers, causing a bit of mild panic among some of them. Fortunately for our group, John, a seasonal ranger at Yosemite National Park for 18 seasons – first took a photo of the bear. Then, as the bear kept coming towards them he sprang into action, shouting, and jumping, and eventually throwing a rock towards the bear, which immediately ran away.

Subsequently, John did some research and learned that this bear is well-known by the state authorities and the residents of the foothill communities. (It even has a green ID tag #162 attached to its right ear.) She has been relocated several times to the wilderness, but keeps coming back, and has never been aggressive. Nevertheless, Ron Scott says that "John definitely was our hero!"

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