We'd been drinking, so that might have helped a little with nerves (I turned around four times to wait and see it coming up around the corner again, like an idiot, thinking maybe it'd have turned around). My initial reaction when we saw it was smooth as FUUUUUU-

I just turned around, smiling, and taking her hand along the way, and said something along the lines of "Just walk and keep talking."

She giggled when I did, but later admitted she was terrified and in shock until we got back safe.

With me, the widest smiles (at least, publicly) are actually often a sign that something's wrong (the way I used to react to my mother's backhands, or when I learned I'd been scammed during Covid lockdown and couldn't move out of my parents place right away), but I recall not stressing at all.

As for the other two bears, yeah, we got uber lucky. 😬 Grizzlies are not for fucking with.

I'm glad you know it!!