Bear Falls

No mountain adventure would be complete without a visit to a waterfall! Little bear was very excited to see a real, live waterfall (a world-famous one too). He knows his little river back home fairly well, but it's a sedate river and doesn't do much except flow and burble around a few rocks.

Little bear took at look at the interpretive signs first... because that's what one does when one's a tourist bear. After fully acquainting himself with the waterfall... little bear followed the map to go and see the falls. But little bear is rather short (that's why he's called "little" bear)... so he couldn't really see much from his vantage point. He decided to climb up the chain link fence to get a better view... and found himself nose to nose with a sign that banned fence climbing... oops!!

Along the way, little bear saw another one of those bear proof garbage cans, but this one actually had a picture of a bear on it! The sign also said "Keep bears wild. Use this bear-proof garbage bin". Little bear's not too sure what "keeping bears wild" has to do with garbage cans though... He learns that bears like to dig in human garbage and eat the leftovers. All little bear can say to that is "ewwww"!!!

Finally, little bear makes it to the falls and well... he's a bit disappointed. The gorge is very impressive. The blue colour of the water is very pretty. But the falls are pretty much frozen over. He can hear the water, and see it flowing into the top end of the falls and flowing out the bottom end of the falls but... nothing in between. These falls don't look anything like the interpretive sign. Little bear is all set to write to the Parks department and claim false-advertising... but he learns that winter is a slow time at the falls... spring and summer would be a better time to come.

Little bear is beginning to think that he might need to do another road trip in the spring or summer... to see the glacier... to see the waterfalls... and maybe even to see some real live bears! Oooohhh....