We've camped there each of the last two years; Lake Mary last year and Twin
Lakes the year before. We didn't see or hear any bears at Twin Lakes
(probably too crowded, and set in between the lakes and the mountain).
However they visited us several times at Lake Mary.

The first night we were there my wife didn't get the bear box latched
properly and a momma bear (also with two cubs) got it open. I woke up from
the noise of her pulling at the box and one of our dogs barking. The dog
tore out of the tent (and nearly tore up the tent), ran to the end of his
tether and starting barking his head off. I wasn't yet very awake and stuck
my head and flashlight out and started yelling at both of them. When the dog
saw what he was barking at he ran the other way to the far reach of his
tether and kept up his barking from there (and all the time I thought that
dog was hopelessly stupid). Meanwhile the voice of reason in the back of my
brain woke up and said to me "hey idiot, you're yelling at a bear". She got
the locker open and stole some hotdog buns and bailed. Meanwhile I was
trying to get my pepper spray out of my shorts pocket and trying to get the
dog to shut up. After he did I realized I was hearing some scuffling and
mewing from somewhere above me and with my flashlight picked out a cub about
20-odd feet up a nearby tree- presumably run up by the dog.

I looked around for the mother. I thought I could see two moving figures
maybe fifty yards away but I couldn't pick them out with the light. I put
the light back on the cub and it seemed to help it get the confidence to
climb back down. I waited a few minutes after it had hightailed it into the
darkness, then I scooted out and closed up the locker.

The next day the camp host came by to make sure our locker wasn't damaged
and would close properly, and told us the continuing adventures of the
bears. Apparently they made their way to the other side of the circular
drive where some twentysomething morons had been partying. We had heard them
whooping and hollering half the night, and we had seen their camp/bonfire,
upon which they had apparently piled every stick of wood they could find. I
hate morons like that. At least they weren't playing music.

So as the story went these idiots passed out all over the place without
putting anything away. The bears of course found their camp and had a field
day. One of the drunks that had actually made it into his tent woke up,
realized what was happening and ran out of his tent buck naked and started
chasing the bear around with a camp chair. According to the neighbors the
bears were already loaded up so they just split.

Those neighbors told the camp host, who told the Rangers. The Rangers came
to the site, made the dudes clean everything up and gave them the choice of
listening to a 30+ minute lecture on bear safety and campground etiquette or
each getting several citations. I guess they took the lecture. It would've
been fun seeing them all hung over and getting quizzed on what they'd been
told.

Our campsite was on the edge of an outer circle of the campground, and we
saw the bears moving through a nearby clearing several times after dark. The
last night, my wife and I were enjoying our last campfire after the kids
were asleep when I realized there were two copper lights hanging in the
darkness on the other side of the fire, just outside the circle of
firelight. I put my hand on my wife's arm to quiet her and pointed them out
to her. After a few seconds the bear moved up close enough that we could see
her pretty well. After a few moments she turned around and lumbered off
again, and we could see the three shadows moving through the clearing
towards the trees.
--
Cya,
Robert

'87 & '86 Auto GLs