Article July 23, 2012 Issue

The grizzly bear delusion

Glenn Williams

Sheila Alioto

On a trip to Glacier National Park in Montana with another couple, my wife and I were looking forward to seeing grizzly bears in the wild. As we approached the park, we stopped next to a construction flagger who shared with us that they were experiencing the most bear sightings in years. 

Upon arrival in the park, the first stop was the side of the road where a crowd had gathered—we were informed they were watching a grizzly bear. Once we had parked and joined the crowd, the bear was pointed out as sitting just inside the tree line about 150 feet or more away. The group consisted of people from all over the country, and we were all very excited at finding a bear so soon upon arrival in the park. 

After watching with the crowd for 15 minutes or so, a bored tourist began walking across the grassy field toward the bear to get a closer look and a better picture. The crowd was concerned and began to grow frightened and angry with each successive step the man took, yelling at him to stop. But he kept walking. 