Bears are back from winter vacation

Took the Girls hiking today and did the 2 miles loop out to the Red shack, up to the high trail and back down past the Antelope Trail. It was Kayla's first day off the leash in a very long time. Her foot is finally better and although she still wears a bootie, the cut is looking quite good.

So we're all coming down off of the trail to the house and I see this rather large footprint. It wasn't there on the way up. Usually I point it out and Steve makes fun of me and says I have mountain lion or bears on the brain. I usually say something like, no it looks much different from a dog footprint. Well, I didn't say anything this time.

We get back to the house and were looking at our bikes and Lucie starts to bark her deep bark like a warning. I kept looking to the driveway to see if someone had stopped by. Then I realize that she is looking into the woods. I ask her what she sees and "good protect"-out command for doing just that.

I look to where her attention is and low and behold there's a huge black bear. It's the same black bear we saw many times last summer.

So I grab the camera and go to the street to take a photo. He's so un-phased by me, my yelling and the dogs barking that he gives me a look and just walks along.

Guess he's pretty hungry and even though it was garbage day, I think he missed all of the trash cans.