The squirrels are noisy as they rummage around in their garden squirrelly delights, so when I heard a rustling in the brush I assumed it was one of my noisy, busy neighbors. In the time it takes to say, “that’s no squirrel” I was at the screen door watching an impressive bear come out of the woods along the path to the right of the cabin. He walked along the bear trail until he got to the new sign where he stopped, sniffed it, and took a little taste of the burled wood in a way that suggested that he appreciated the new look. Rather than continue along the trail he was following, he turned down the trail toward the cabin. I have imagined what a bear testing an electric fence looks like. I imagine he would be cautious since a fence is foreign to his natural routine; he might approach slowly, sniff it and touch his nose to one of the strands until after a moment he would recoil as the function of the fence became clear to him. He would then file it into that big ursine brain as something more noxious than devils club and avoid it in the future. Not this bear. He continued down the path and when he got close to the gate he stepped onto the grass and continued his trajectory toward the fence. He didn’t hesitate, not even a little, not a single misstep in his lazy but determined gait. When he reached the strands of the fence he just put his head down, tucking his chin into his chest and walked into the fence like it was low hanging spruce bough—completely oblivious to it—pushing into the three middle strands with his forehead. The fence stretched and the plastic support pole bowed under his weight. After a step and a half he took a step backward and turned his head away from the fence. He showed no shock or surprise, nothing to break the outward show of grizzly stoicism as he stepped around the corner of the fence into the corral around the well. He stood there for a moment looking through the fence and then continued on his way into the woods behind the cabin. There was a moment when I was sure he would be through the fence before it zapped him. I’m not sure what you do when both you and a bear are inside an electric fence.

It was a nice day—a perfect day. A few visitors flew in with whom I spent some time at the viewing area listening to bear stories. I saw brand new spring cubs for the first time. They are tiny little balls of fluff. The sow kept them close to the far edge of the meadow. The sow with the three large, blonde cubs seems to have adopted a fourth. It is darker and looks about a year younger than her others. I’m not sure if this is unusual. I also wandered down past Horn Creek to see what the oystercatchers were up to, but saw no sign of them.