Bear on the Mogollon Rim

So, I was backpacking a couple of weeks ago off a forest road on the Mogollon Rim, northeast of Payson, Arizona.  I set up camp and then went on a "safari," walking slowly and quietly along the dirt road, hoping to see deer or elk.  I hadn't gone far when I saw an animal!  He was near the edge of the road, half hidden in the vegetation.  I was excited for a moment until I realized it was just someone's big black dog.  But there was no person there.  And when I got a better view...it was no dog!  And there's only one other big black thing it could be.  A bear!  A BEAR!  

Now, I realize that in some places bears are super common and sightings are hardly even exciting anymore.  But despite all my camping and hiking in Arizona, I have NEVER seen a bear in the wild here.  I was far enough away that I wasn't really scared, just excited and wary.  I stood and watched him fuss around near the edge of the road.  Then he walked into the road, stopped, looked at me, wandered a few more steps, stopped, looked at me, and then sauntered off.

I was amazed.  But also...I was not very far from my camp.  A third of a mile, in fact.  So, the ONE time I see a bear up here is also the ONE time I'm camping completely alone and the ONE time I'm camping without a bear box or a vehicle to put my food in. I had a ratsack with a heavy duty supposedly smell-proof plastic bag inside, and it was hanging from a tree, but not really high enough to be safe from bears.  My system was more concerned with rodents. 

So I double-checked that there was NOTHING smelly at all in my tent, and then I spent the rest of the evening and night perking up every time I heard a sound.  "Bear?  Bear?"  But no, it was all good.

And the peace and quiet was beautiful.

Because I was backpacking and wanted to lighten the load, the only camera I had with me was my terrible tablet camera, so...my only pictures look like sasquatch hoax photos.  But here they are: