Prior to meeting the father of my college girlfriend, I was warned. He was the chief criminal investigator for Missioula, he was a decorated Vietnam Vet with a love for guns and he held the record for taking down the largest grizzly bear in the US with a straight bow. He did it without a side-arm and only had a knife to protect himself from it's charges.

I'll never forget the first time I met him. I drove up his mile long driveway in the middle of nowhere MT. There were signs posted, the first read "keep out." The second, "turn around now" and the last one said "nothing beyond this point is worth your life."

He turned out to be a very nice man, that just happened to be a bad-ass bear hunter.

Grizzlies are probably the coolest animal I've ever seen in the wild except perhaps for a Mountain Lion. When hiking out there, don't forget to either wear bells or sing-songs on the trail. Last thing you ever want to do is startle a bear.