The Black Bear

In the summer of 1890 three men set out from Spokane into the untamed Bitter Root Mountains, hoping to hunt grizzlies and find gold. Their journey quickly turns into a battle with deep snow, frozen rivers and relentless storms that force them to dig horses out of drifts and shelter under hemlock bark. By the time the weather eases, the exhausted party has learned to read the shifting clouds and the stubborn terrain, their determination as raw as the wilderness around them.

The breakthrough comes when one of the hunters hears a peculiar cry and discovers a black bear mother pushing through the slushy snow with three tiny cubs in tow. The scene is both comic and poignant, as the great animal creates holes for her young and watches them tumble out. This encounter with the bear, later known as Ben, opens a quiet, unexpected chapter in the men’s rugged adventure.