Bear sightings in Tahoe are not unusual. The forest and the mountains are all around so the creatures of natures are not far away. Catching glimpses of bears through the trees or crossing a road are relatively common, but still exciting for us out-of-towners.
Personal close encounters are another thing. Last year, on our afternoon walk, the boys and I came upon a bear. Actually, the dogs were aware before I was. I heard the sound of bark of a tree being scraped. I stopped and surveyed the area of the sound, Sure enough, there was a bear, reddish brown, clinging to a tree about six feet up. We turned around and went back the way we came.
This scenario was repeated two days ago on our morning walk down by the lake (Lake Tahoe). Quam stopped and looked off into the trees. I heard that same bark scraping sound. I stopped. Looking around I found a tree about 75 ft away with a very black blob on the trunk. I could not distinguish that it was a bear, but I could see what I determined was a white muzzle which meant that he was looking at me. The trail back to the trailer would have brought us closer to that blob. so after five seconds of hesitation, I chose to turn around and find another way home. It wasn't scary but it did make the trip memorable.
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