37. On Land

That’s the first bear I’ve seen in the wild. The photo was taken last week in the Sierra mountains of California, where the bear was grazing in a meadow. I stood on a log and watched it for about half an hour, as mist swept intermittently across and obscured us both.

Though it’s brown, I’m told this is a ‘Black Bear,’ Ursus americanus, the only species in the Sierras. It was a tremendous animal to watch, imagining the living engine of dark blood and muscle inside.