ECHO MOUNTAIN GRIZZLY 233 



Mountain. Here she had left the cubs the night 

 before. Tracks showed that she was then in 

 the cave with them. I did not disturb them, 

 but I did revisit their territory again and again. 



In this cave they hibernated that winter. 

 It was a roomy, natural cave formed by enor- 

 mous rock fragments that had tumbled together 

 at the base of a time-worn cliff. The den 

 which the grizzly and cubs used the first winter 

 was not used again, nor were their later hibernat- 

 ing places discovered. 



The grizzly's new domain was about thirty 

 miles to the northward of her former wilderness 

 home. It was a wild, secluded region between 

 Echo Mountain and Long's Peak. 



Grizzlies often explore afar and become ac- 

 quainted with the unclaimed territory round 

 them, and it is possible that this mother grizzly 

 knew the character of the new home territory 

 before emigrating. There was an abundance of 

 food in the old home territory, but it is possi- 

 ble that she had lost former cubs there and it 

 is certain that she had been shot at a number of 

 times. However, the change may have been 

 simply due to that wanderlust which sometimes 

 takes possession of the ever-adventurous grizzly. 

 In the eventful years which followed she showed 

 tireless energy and skill. Though badly crip- 

 pled, she still maintained those qualities which 



