MP1515 Resupplied in Burney and then walked on for several days until reaching Castella where I resupplied again. This day was remarkable for seeing four bears. The first three were a mother and 2 cubs which I stumbled upon. The sow stood up on her hind feet and looked me straight in the eyes. I started backing up at which point one of the cubs tumbled out of a tree and all three of them ran up the trail.   I waited about 15 minutes before I followed them.
     Further up the trail I ran into a lone bear who was in a clearing only about 20 or 30 feet off trail.   He didn't notice me until I stepped from behind a tree with my camera.   The moment he saw me he was off like a rocket.  I didn't even have time to raise my camera and take a photo.    He was amazingly fast, running downhill and over downed trees and boulders.   He ran about 100 yards to the foot of the clearing and then disappeared.
     After that encounter I started asking other hikers if they had seen any bears recently and several told me that they had.   The postmaster in Castella told me that the bears had been peeking in the windows at him in his post office.
     Hiked back up to the PCT by an alternate route and camped with Hamburger (so named because he comes from Hamburg, Germany)  after walking about 12 miles.   About July 31