While hiking in California this past summer, we made camp in a clearing near a sandy hill, not too far from the river. The campsite was one of the best we found on the trip, but none of us expected what we found when we moved on to the next site.
This tree looked to be the scratching post for a local bear. I felt it was sort of bitter sweet that we didn't get to meet the bear that marked the area as its territory, but it was probably for the best. Many in our group left feeling a little unsettled not having noticed the markings in the two days we made camp here. A bear probably wouldn't have messed with a group our size, but our packs and food might not have been so lucky.
This is the same tree, but more of the tree. What I found really interesting is how this tree had obviously been scratched in the past. The top claw mark I assumed to be fresher as no sap had seeped out and solidified around it. The one lower and to the right I thought was older for the opposite reason. The big line of dried sap toward the base of the tree may not be a bear scratch, but something for sure caused it. The rest of the tree had smaller scratches all around it at or below head height.
These markings to me really show the power of nature. This was the bears land. The bear marked this place as its area and it allowed us to stay there.
