Out of the Blue

The number of black bears in the Great Smoky Mountains has grown substantially in the last decade.  I have seen several just this year and I have not even done a lot of hiking.  When I do see one, I have to tell
you that I am just mesmorized.  I hate the traffic jams they cause when one is spotted, but that also has to tell
you that we all want so desparately to connect with nature in an intimate way.  Our responsibility at that point is to respect the wild animal's space.  I say this at the risk of alienating myself from my "hunter" relatives.  My

grandfather was one of the first Game Wardens during The Great Depression (what was so great about it you say).  He was a hunter himself and walked The Tellico Mountains on a daily basis.  The game he hunted and killed ended up saving his family for sure.  His roots on both sides of parents came from Germany and Native American Indian stock - from the north and the south of our country.  I miss his stories.....