One day hiking outside my cabin in the Sierras, I found a skeleton of a dead medium sized bear in the middle of the trail. No idea how it got there, have never seen one before, but it was obviously a bear. On my walk back home, a gigantic bear walked onto the path about 50 feet in front of me and stood up looking down at me. I freaked out! Surely, I'm fucked, gonna be on one of those documentaries about idiots alone in the woods. So, I stood there and didn't move. They say you should yell and throw rocks and make a fuss when you come across one, but you try yelling at an 8 foot bear! I swear this things was a Kodiak, man! It wasn't tho, it was a giant golden Grizzly!! Now, they say they are extinct in California but I know this wasn't a black bear. And it was huge! I tried to look big but come on. I had no chance. The majestic bear stood there looking at me for what felt like 2 or 3 minutes. Just me and the bear and the breeze thru the trees. Surreal, a religious experience, I felt I was kissing a god.

It actually took a step or two forward. Not wobbling at all, it towered over me. It had a sheen of gold to its auburn fur and its face had almost no black to it except for its eyes. The hair had grey and white hues. Maybe he was elderly. Then the bear came down on all fours gracefully with no sound and slowly walked away grazing in the brush, not even looking at me.