Monday, August 1, 8:15 PM. Brewer.

Today was much better. We didn’t go as far as we planned but it’s no great loss. It seems to have helped everyone’s mood. We can make up the time in the next day or two.

Amy had some nausea this morning. It was never a big problem for her with the other pregnancies, but she’s that much older now, and high in the mountains. She felt better once we got going. I feel a lot better myself. No dizziness today.

We saw a bear. Everyone was scared at the time but afterwards it was all they could talk about. There was no real danger. It was a black bear, not very large. I didn’t see any cubs.

What was scary was that we didn’t notice it until we were right up on it. It came out from the trees not ten yards away. It paused, one paw hovering in mid-stride, and froze for a moment. I scanned the ground for a decent-sized stone, or something I could use for a club.

The bear turned toward us. It inched closer. It looked more curious than predatory, but I wasn’t taking any chances. I pushed myself into the front, planted my feet, stretched out my arms, mustered everything in me, and let out a roar to shake the sky.

That got it going. It was nearly galloping when it hit the trees.

The kids were ecstatic. I was everybody’s hero, at least for an hour or two.

Amy still won’t make eye contact. She doesn’t have much to say, but at least she’s not complaining. Last night when we were making camp it was like a morgue. Tonight everybody’s tired, but the mood is cheerful.

I’m just glad it wasn’t a grizzly.