Bears at Mendenhall Glacier

These are pictures of the bears seen at Mendenhall Glacier. 

I received several comments/questions about the people in the bear picture.  As we were walking back up the hill from the glacier, a man and women came around the bushes from a trail and said "quiet, there's a bear".  We could hear him/her in the bushes.  Yesterday's picture was taken when the bear emerged from the bushes and walked past others on the trail, including children and a dog.  The bear just kept on going as if used to all the people.  He was in search of salmon.  There was a group of about 15-20 of us who moved over to the trails where there was a wooden bridge and we were able to watch the bears for a long time.  This is where today's pictures were taken.

Although the bears look brown, these are black bears.  Brown bears are much larger and have a noticeable hump on their upper back (google "brown bear picture").   I don't want to meet either up close and personal.