[tigermn]

Seattle times story of a grizzly bear photo in North Cascades. I know they exist but are not very common.

[MackAttack]

Nice, I'm glad they finally were captured on film. Last summer my friends and I were traversing Rainbow Ridge in the North Cascades and ran into a grizzly and her two cubs. We were shocked not to mention slightly terrified. Luckily the cubs ran towards mom (who was about 100 ft away) and then the three bolted off. Needless to say, we slept lightly that night (this happened about 20 minutes before arriving at our camp). The best part is we had been having a discussion on the trail earlier that day about whether or not there were grizzlies in WA! Question answered. We reported it to the rangers who were a little skeptical. My boyfriend and I are from Montana and we know our bears, there was no way this was a black bear. Very large, had the hump, had the grizzly snout, and was blonde. It's great to know they're making a come back, but definitely something consider when planning your next trip to the North Cascades.

[Dave Workman]

What is surprising about the story is that it suggests federal authorities had to study it and show it to other authorities before determining it was a griz. I took one look at the image as a thumbnail and saw immediately it was a griz. That hump is kind of hard to mistake. I've seen one other bear like that in the lower 48, years ago heading up a ridge at the north end of Priest Lake, on a ridge overlooking the southeast end of Little Priest Lake. Didn't get a photo of it, though.

[Slugman]

Now they own the bear's soul.

[grannyhiker]

One key to grizz identification is the ears. Grizz: ears short and round. Black bear: longer, more pointy ears. Color is not a useful way to distinguish the two because "black" bears come in all shades of black, brown and cinnamon and grizz also vary in color, although not as much. Montana Fish and Wildlife has an excellent training and testing program for hunters, who must know the difference between the two species: Grizzly Identification Program. Click on "Start Training" to go through the short program. There are enough borderline pictures in the test itself to challenge you!

[DIYSteve]

[The Angry Hiker]

I saw a shaved one on West Tiger 3 not loo long ago...

shaved grizzly on WT 3

[Dave Workman]

[rbuzby]

[Bernardo]

Too bad the hiker who took the photo waited six months before reporting the sighting. As a result no physical evidence was collected. With today's photo editing software, a photo is always subject to question. Because of the delay some people will think this is a hoax.

[Backpacker Joe]

[tigermn]

I seems more and more threads about anything from passes to bear sightings are going political Can't be cabin fever?

[HundsSolo]

So which one of us took the pic's and don't want to share???

[like2thruhike]

Years ago a friend who lived in the forest along I-90 beyond Snoqualmie Pass claimed she and others she had conversations with believed there was a grizzly along the PCT corridor. Their assumptions originated from large game with broken necks.I guess that could also be a big cat? I wouldn't mention this but she's a serious person who doesn't gossip or make sh*t up. But just like bigfoot,without photo proof,it's all speculation.

[NewlyNorwegian]

Why not take pot shots at the Feds? As one of the biologists who looked at these photos, I take it personally when someone insults all Federal employees, let alone the group of us who were given those photos. I get tired of blanket insults, or as one co-worker calls it: "uncontrolable ego vomit." It's unfortunate there's so much of that allowed here. Insult someone by name is cowardice, insult an entire group of people you probably know nothing about is lower than cowardice. I usually let this kind of garbage roll off my back, but there's just too much trash allowed here. It's one of the most hostile forums I've ever seen. So, not necessarily "cabin fever" since there is so much of this kind of stuff from a few individuals.