Moon Bear

After Breakfast Monday morning, I checked Court Corner for One Fawn--still there, and dont know where Mama Doe was...pic...hopped on the Hikers Bus....Paper Wasp Nest at Crane Flat..pic...Young Bear beside the Road near Porcupine Flat...and at the Wildenrness Center in Tuolumne, no luck with permit for Dana Plateau...soso...diverted to Young Lakes....I'm doing a reprise of one night Backpacks I did three years ago, the first year of Fauna and Flora...I didn't report them back then...and the time when I went to Upper Young Lake, there was a Full Moon, and I tried for pics...usually the Moon is too bright for exposure of foreground, but with the Sunset filling in the foreground as the Moon rises, it's almost possible, and I wanted to try that again...there's two Routes to Young Lakes, one through Dog Lake Trail, and the other a right turn aways out the Glen Aulin Trail...the Dog lake Trail begins with a steep uphill, and to avoid that, I went the other way...which is longer, and I was wore out when I got to the Lower Lake...another five mile five hour hike!....sighted One Buck on the way...pic...One Flicker, Juncos, Nutcrackers, Golden Mantle Squirrels, about..otherwise very quiet....set up the Tent at the site I've used before, and paddled down to the Lake for dinner, and to watch the Sunset....Nutcrackers said goodbye to the Day, and Trout hopping...and I waitedwaited for the Moon, and it got too dark for the pic...so picked up and back to the Tent, where I turned about, and saw the Moon beginning to show...hurried back to the Lake Shore, and tried for pic and clip....kinda dim, kinda blurry...but cool just to see....settled into the Tent, too tired to listen to the ipod, and off to sleep....woke up in the middle of the Night...Moon full and very bright, lighting up Conness and the other Peaks....watched the Stars awhile, hard to see in the Moon Glow....took my glasses off and set them carefully in the Tent's pouch (nearsighted!), closed my eyes, watiedwaited for sleep to return, and heard a soft noise nearby, and opened one eye....I think Bear saw my eye opening!...or somehow sensed I was awake, and Bear did a turn about, swinging away from sniffing my Boots and Gear....there's not much else to do, when Bear comes around, but lay still, and twice before on other hikes this has happened, but never under Full Moonlight when I can see Bear clearly, well, blurry clearly!...there was a Boulder a few feet from the Tent, and Bear walked behind it, and over to the Bear Can...sniffed...and moved off...Bears seem to know when a Camp has its food and such secure, and just visit and move on....continued to lay still, and Bear came back for one more looksee...kinda cool just to see!....looked for Paw Prints on the Gravel in the Morning, but hard to see...Bear walks so soft....one Print by the Tent's Corner..pic up....packed, and returned the Dog Lake route...scenics...sighted Hawk when I came upon the Long Meadow...Mantle Squirrel was piping warning beside the Trail, and Hawk must have been right over head perched...but no luck...Hawk flew off down the Meadow towards Tuolumne Meadow...report of Deer hit by car at White Wolf...second time in that location....oh...sighted Hawk too while waiting for the Bus, fly to and from the Lodgepoles along the Road, but too far away for pic...today taken up with returning to the Valley, as sunny hot and blue as Tuolumne!