Am I living a charmed life or an uncharmed life because I've never had any kind of an encounter with a bear? Plenty of friends have drawn their attention in the Smokies. My late cousin had to shoot one that wandered into his yard and barreled right toward him.

Bears in Gatlinburg

But not me. I wouldn't mind an experience like the former; I'll pass on the latter. Seriously, the closest I've come, I guess, was the warning on the dumpster outside our condo in Gatlinburg. But I wouldn't expect that to count.

Here's the thing. We've all seen those Gatlinburg videos featuring our ursine friends walking among the tourists . I imagine it's a very cool thing to happen and something visitors can add to a "bucket list," perhaps. This happens because black bears, because of their proximity to pop

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