Smoky Mountains Black Bear © William Britten use with permission only

I was headed down the Newfound Gap Road towards Gatlinburg yesterday after scoping out the wildflowers on the Cove Hardwoods Trail. Suddenly there’s a commotion with cars stopped, people gawking. Usually this means one thing: bears.

So I dutifully pulled over, and sure enough there was a genuine Smoky Mountain black bear fast asleep up in the roadside tree. Yup, there he was.

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