one of several ponds spotted along the trail here...the scene is deceptively peaceful though, as minutes earlier a patrolling staff member had stopped me on a curve of the trail, saying he had just heard a warning grunt from a black bear...in a flash, before I could react with the camera, the bear broke cover and ran across the trail just 40-50 feet away...as it rushed ahead the staffer clapped his hands vigorously and shouted loudly for it to go away...the bear seemed to pick up speed with the noise...I learned a lesson from that, as it seems a bit of bravado might save your neck during such a close encounter