Photo Gallery: Groggy Black Bear Wakes Up, Falls into a Frozen Pond
During a hike, a photographer came across a groggy black bear—and captured some once-in-a-lifetime images
The ice-out temperature of this Yukon river was just plain cold. Jim Petelski photo
While out for a spring hike, I found this guy sleeping beside a snow-melt pond, still very deep and half-frozen, just outside of Carmacks, Yukon. He was truly sound asleep and snoring loudly. I sat down on the edge of the pond across from him and watched him do nothing but sleep for about an hour. He then snorted himself awake.
I did not want to startle him so I started talking to him. He stretched, then the willows behind his back he was laying against started to give way. He gave a final stretch—and tumbled head first into the half frozen pond. Here’s what it looked like.
