And you don't even have to travel to Pemberton to have bear encounters, we regularly run across black bears right here in our own backyards (literally) in North Vancouver. Luckily those aren't grizzly encounters or the results might be more grisly.
On a typical ride here in the summer I'll see coyotes, deer, maybe a bear 2-3 times per year, and so far I've been lucky enough not to encounter a cougar (but they are here). We're constantly reminded that the beauty of nature usually is packaged with nasty sharp pointed teeth and claws. But there's nothing quite like the feeling you get from riding dozens of km's from civilization in real wilderness conditions. The east slopes of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta are equally as wonderous.
