After waking up I headed over to North Dome for a bit and then headed back up the trail towards
Snow Creek. After looking at the map for a bit I started to think about redirecting my plan. Since I was already 2500 feet above the valley and planned to climb back up Half dome, I decided that I would approach from another direction. So instead of turning at Snow Creek, I continued up towards Tioga Road. After resting for a little bit, I was able to thumb a ride with a nice older couple that was driving in the same direction since the next trail head was 5 miles down the road. They were a Polish couple that was traveling along the west coast and even happened to have a grandson that was attending USF for engineering. I am always reminded as to how small the world seems to be. As I was heading from the Sunrise Lake are towards Cloud's Rest, I had to make a quick bathroom stop. I left my poles on the trail and walked off to one side to get far enough from the trail.
As I was walking back I almost got to the trail when I looked over to the other side and saw, about 30 feet away, a black bear forging around. While it was nice to see the previous bear that was off the road in Sequoia NP several day prior, seeing one completely in a natural environment was a real treat.
Although I talked to it for a bit, so it knew I was there and not a typical animal, as I retrieved my poles and headed steadily along my way, I really wasn't that nervous. The only times these bears are typically aggressive is when they are protecting their young or territory or when they are used to getting human food and lose their fear. This one was simply forging around and though it kept an eye on my, it didn't seem to be too concerned. I was able to watch it for about 20 minus and get in some decent shots, though wish I had carried the extra weight of the telephoto lens this time. This kind of encounter is just the kind of thing I wanted to witness on this trip and will be memorable for a long time.
After taking in the experience, I headed back on my way to Cloud's Rest. This was a nice peak and a pretty decent climb, but was well worth the effort since it gave sweeping views of Half Dome and some of the High Sierras in the distance. After hanging out for a while, I headed towards the Half Dome and set up camp about a mile from trail. I had covered about 14 miles of trail (plus the extra 5 mile boost by hitch hiking along Tioga Road) and wanted to get a nice early start in the morning.
After waking up I headed over to North Dome for a bit and then headed back up the trail towards 
Snow Creek. After looking at the map for a bit I started to think about redirecting my plan. Since I was already 2500 feet above the valley and planned to climb back up Half dome, I decided that I would approach from another direction. So instead of turning at Snow Creek, I continued up towards Tioga Road. After resting for a little bit, I was able to thumb a ride with a nice older couple that was driving in the same direction since the next trail head was 5 miles down the road. They were a Polish couple that was traveling along the west coast and even happened to have a grandson that was attending USF for engineering. I am always reminded as to how small the world seems to be. As I was heading from the Sunrise Lake are towards Cloud's Rest, I had to make a quick bathroom stop. I left my poles on the trail and walked off to one side to get far enough from the trail. 
As I was walking back I almost got to the trail when I looked over to the other side and saw, about 30 feet away, a black bear forging around. While it was nice to see the previous bear that was off the road in Sequoia NP several day prior, seeing one completely in a natural environment was a real treat. 
Although I talked to it for a bit, so it knew I was there and not a typical animal, as I retrieved my poles and headed steadily along my way, I really wasn't that nervous. The only times these bears are typically aggressive is when they are protecting their young or territory or when they are used to getting human food and lose their fear. This one was simply forging around and though it kept an eye on my, it didn't seem to be too concerned. I was able to watch it for about 20 minus and get in some decent shots, though wish I had carried the extra weight of the telephoto lens this time. This kind of encounter is just the kind of thing I wanted to witness on this trip and will be memorable for a long time.
After taking in the experience, I headed back on my way to Cloud's Rest. This was a nice peak and a pretty decent climb, but was well worth the effort since it gave sweeping views of Half Dome and some of the High Sierras in the distance. After hanging out for a while, I headed towards the Half Dome and set up camp about a mile from trail. I had covered about 14 miles of trail (plus the extra 5 mile boost by hitch hiking along Tioga Road) and wanted to get a nice early start in the morning.
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