Frisky Bear Cub

One summer, my husband and I and our 3 sons went hiking on one of the popular Smokies trails. The boys, ages 12, 9 and 8, were moving quickly several feet ahead of my husband and I when we heard crashing around in the bushes below the trail. My husband and I stopped instantly in our tracks and tried to identify the sound. We called to the boys to stop too. Just as they turned to face us, a small bear cub came exploding out of the bushes, scrambled up onto the trail and continued on up the mountain. All of us stood as still as statues, and the boys' eyes were as big as saucers! The same thing was on all our minds!!! Where was the cub's mother? Was she above us or below us? We were frozen for several long seconds, not wanting to get between a cub and its mother! When we realized she was not following the cub up the mountain, we quickly picked up our pace and made it to the end of the trail in record time!!