In the Spring of 2021, Grand Teton National Park provided an amazing spectacle as multiple families of grizzlies appeared from their winter slumber and grazed the Park's many meadows, with Grizzly 399 and her quad cubs, now more than a year old, the stars of the show.
It is nearly sundown and there is a cool breeze blowing. For weeks Grizzly 399 and her quad cubs have been on a relentless move in search of food and safety. But on this evening, they are at peace, grazing in the shadow of the Teton mountain range. These are better days
Grizzly 399 and her cubs stroll across a Teton meadow on their way to a nearby willow thicket where they will search for their next meal.
Three of Grizzly 399's four cubs play at the shore of Jackson Lake.
Five grizzlies - 399 and her quad cubs - forage in the still-greening flats near Oxbow Bend.
A large grizzly nuzzles her two young cubs.
A grizzly scampers with her two cubs across the still deep snow near the Continental Divide.
A large grizzly slowly makes her way across the still-deep snow of late May, along with her two cubs. Mom may be stronger but the cubs are lighter and that can be an advantage in the softening snow of spring.
Felicia's two cubs follow mom closely as she makes her way to the nearby trees.
A family of grizzlies disappear into the thicket where they will spend much of the day sleeping and hunting for newborn elk.
Grizzly 399 is on the move with her four cubs, now more than a year old, moving out of the forest and into the open.
An imposing and healthy large female grizzly scans a distant meadow, with her nose more than her eyes, for any signs of a male bear who could threaten her two young cubs.
There is a simplicity and raw power in the movement of a large grizzly across a snow-covered mountainside. For more than 10 years I had envisioned a photograph like this, the powerful grizzly and a pure white background of snow, with nothing to distract.
Out of her sanctuary in the woods a large grizzly emerges with her two cubs..
Recently emancipated, this subadult grizzly cub of Blondie needs to make smart decisions as it learns to live on its own.
Two subadult grizzly bears, from different moms, find comfort in each other's presence as they learn the difficult ways of the world they have now before them. For at least a few months, these cubs of 610 and Blondie have struck up a friendship that will, at least for a while, serve both well.
The line between the seasons in Grand Teton National Park is always illusory as a late May snow squall falls on grizzly 399 and her family of four cubs.
Grizzly 399 leads there of her four cubs from the forest's edge. No matter how many times she appears suddenly from the woods it is a sight that is captivating and precious.
Grizzly 399 leads two of her four cubs down a dirt road near Pilgrim Creek where she has made her home and raised nearly 20 cubs over more than two decades.
Felicia leads her two cubs into a willow thicket where they will sleep and spend much of the day before they emerge to forage again. It is too early in the season to find elk calves so for now they must feed mostly on greens and rodents.
A large female grizzly presides over this remote swath of flats, streams and mountains, where she roams widely and raises her two young cubs.
Grizzly 399 swims with her four cubs across a slow moving stretch of the Snake River as a family of Canadian geese look on with some surprise.
Grizzly 399 has decided the waters are now low and slow enough - it is time to cross the Snake River with her four cubs.
For the cubs, this river crossing is an adventure, a time to play, but for 399 it is just a crossing to the flats and willow thickets where she hopes to find a young elk or moose.
Grizzly 399 and her quad cubs graze in the cool below the Teton range. It is an iconic scene this summer evening, watching this remarkable grizzly raising her four cubs, ever alert and seemingly always on the move.
Bearing the signature golden color of his mom, a curious cub bounds into the open for a better view.
Grizzly 399 warily watches as her four cubs graze and play nearby. She is nearly 25 year old and she has motherhood down to an art.
Spring has gotten an earlier start on this hillside and this family of bears welcomes the opportunity to graze on some of spring's first flowers.
A cub enjoys feeding next to the most celebrated mom of the Tetons, grizzly 399, as her 3 siblings play nearby.
A startled canadian goose flies away as Grizzly 399 marches across this flat.
Looking a bit bedraggled, this subadult grizzly is not deterred by the rain and snow as it feeds alone near Pacific Creek.
Grizzly 399 leads one of her four cubs through a light June snow.
Grizzly 399 and her four cubs walk quietly in the fading light and down a hidden trail below my cabin. There is no one around and the sighting is a surprise but there is something deeply moving as this mom leads her cubs into the night.
Grizzly 399 and her four cubs disappear into the approaching night.
At the advanced age of 25 or so years, Grizzly 399 is still a healthy and imposing force.
As her four cubs graze on spring's early flowers and emerging greens, 399 is constantly surveying their surroundings,
399 grazes for a quick moment before preparing to lead her growing family to a more promising meadow.