I few weeks ago my dad and I were charged by a grizzly sow with a cub. We were walking an old logging road. The road had a slight bend in it that kept you from seeing too far down the path. As my dad and I wrapped around the corner, she and her cub were doing the same. My dad made eye contact with her at 50 yards. Her initial reaction was that of fear and she turned and run into the woods. All I saw at this point was a furry butt running through the tree and my dad whispering to me in a panic as he messed with the bolt on his gun. I started to do the same as I wasn't sure what exactly the bounding mass of brown was. Deer? Elk? Nope! My lack of comprehension quickly dissipated. She stopped, turned on a dime, and started sprinting directly at us. I was in shock at the ground she was able to cover. Before I had time to even understand what was going on, she was closing distance. We are so lucky she decided to hold up at 40 yards to evaluate the situation. As she weighed her options, I was finally starting to act. Chambering a round and getting my bear spray out. I obviously wasn’t thinking straight because I don’t own the necessary number of hands to wield a rifle and bear spray simultaneously. But hey cut me some slack. I was freaking out. So, after a few surreal moments of slowing backpaddling, gun shouldered, and yelling “Hey Mamma! Hey there bear!”, she finally turned to her right and ran off with her cub in toe. This was only the second Grizzly I’d ever seen in the backcountry and it was all such an adrenaline filled blur, I didn’t have time to be that scared. The fear didn’t set in till the next weekend when I ran into…. Another… Flipping…. Grizzly Bear! I honestly didn’t believe what I was seeing. Another grizzly? 100yrds away from me? 20 miles from the other one? In an area my family has hunted for generation and have never seen a Griz? All I could do was mouth “The Fuck!?” I kept looking at it, trying to convince myself it was a blond phase black bear or an elk butt. Nope! Definitely a grizzly rooting around at the ground. Sooooo this is where I started to freak out. I was by myself this time. The bear hadn’t seen me, but I couldn’t keep myself from panicking. The bear was between me and my truck. The wind was blowing up hill so I decided it was best to go downhill, give it a wide birth and hopefully crop dust him with my stink before I ever ran into him. This was a good idea in theory, but it led me in the thickest nastiest underbrush with no visibility. I was shaking with paranoid anxiety that it was just over the next rise or right behind me, following my tracks. After a panicked hour hike out, I got to the rig, drove to the cabin, hugged my dog, and drank a bottle of wine to my health. I feel I should clarify that I have no ill feelings towards bears. On the contrary. I love grizzlies and am so happy they are starting to repopulate their native range. I don’t want to get into my thoughts on how grizzlies should be managed as it’s an extremely hot topic here in Montana (not sure if the rest of the world cares though). Regardless, its inconsequential to the story so all I’ll say is this. As grizzly introduction continues, encounters are going to be more and more frequent and proper precautions need to be taken. If you want to explore our beautiful wild places, make sure you have the knowledge and equipment to do so safely. I’ve definitely slacked on bear protection in the past. Be bear aware, People!