Ursula, a Yosemite Bear

The snow on the high mountains is melting fast, and the streams are singing bank-full, swaying softly through the level meadows and bogs, quivering with sun spangles, swirling in potholes, resting in deep pools, leaping, shouting in wild, exulting energy over rough boulder dams. They are joyful and beautiful in all their forms.

John Muir

Reviews by our readers:

Ursula is a wonderful and beautifully written story that brings Yosemite to life through the eyes of a lovable bear named Ursula. What makes this book special is the combination of great storytelling and nature and wildlife conservation. It’s perfect for kids and adults who love the outdoors and want to learn more about the amazing creatures that live there.
A fascinating and well-written story, perfect for both children and adults. The characters are lovable, and the plot is full of surprises. The illustrations are enchanting and add a magical touch to the narrative.
I had so much fun reading this book. The author brought humor, friendship, and family together in a fun adventure about Ursula, a talking Yosemite Bear. And it wasn’t just bears that could talk with each other; the yellow-bellied marmot and Ralph the raven could speak with Ursula, and even the old packer named Billy spoke to the animals. He had learned animal language many years ago and offered to help Ursula’s father escape a dangerous bind. Such a lot of imagination. The illustrations are also adorable! Every child will enjoy this book. I look forward to reading the second book in the Trilogy.
I really enjoyed this creative children’s book! In particular, I loved the main trio of animals and the sweet ending. Great messages of teamwork, bravery, conversation, and friendship throughout these pages. Solid character development and writing in this story. Highly recommend this great book!
Yosemite Valley & Bear Town

Tuolumne & Fletcher Canyon

Table of Contents

Daddy Bear’s Tag

Ursula opens her eyes. She stares at the cave ceiling where she’s been hibernating with Mommy and Daddy since early December. She wants to get up and explore, but Mommy’s arm is across her body. While Ursula wonders how to wiggle out without waking her parents, she notices a drop of water forming on the ceiling.

This is something new. Where is the water coming from? The drop gets bigger and bigger until it lets go and plops right on Daddy’s ear. His ear twitches, and Ursula hears a faint tinkling sound from the plastic tag on his left ear.

She thinks back to the day in October when Daddy came home with the tag and how sad Mommy was. Ursula told Mommy she also wanted a tag, but that made Mommy even more upset.

As Ursula lies in bed, other memories from last year return to her. She recalls how much fun she had with her friends, swimming in the Merced River, playing with the butterflies in Yosemite’s meadows, and stealing food from the tourists.

As she thinks about her friends and wonders how they are, another drop of water forms. This time, it drops right into Daddy’s ear. His ear twitches, the tag tinkles, and Daddy groans and turns over. His turn squeezes Mommy, who then shifts and moves her arm. Ursula is free! She slips out of bed.

Ursula passes the room where Daddy keeps his two-way radio, which he uses to monitor the park rangers’ movements. He stole the two-way radio from a ranger’s truck and brought it home. If he hears that rangers are coming to Bear Town, he warns all the other bears to stay in their caves.

Ursula walks into the kitchen and stretches because she has been sleeping for months, and even though she is a young bear, her muscles are stiff. She wants to go outside to explore, run around, and find her friends. Ursula pushes her nose through the hole at the cave’s entrance and paws away the snow. She squeezes through to a beautiful and bright sunny day. The snow still covers Bear Town, but she sees other paw prints; other bears have also emerged from their caves. She wonders whether she should go back in and wake Daddy so that he can start to monitor the two-way radio but then remembers how cranky Daddy gets when he wakes up. She decides to let the water drips do the job for her.

Right now, she wants to play and delight in the snow and ice surrounding her. Everything on the early spring day sparkles. She gets up on top of a smooth rock and slides down to the pile of snow at the bottom. She kicks the snow, rubs her nose in it, and then lies on her back and makes a snow angel. How glorious it is to wake up to spring.

A brief shadow crosses the sun, and as it does, Ursula looks up at Half Dome and remembers Daddy saying that the rocks and the many caves of Bear Town are the missing half of Half Dome. She feels lucky to live in such a beautiful place.

The shadow comes down and lands on the rock next to Ursula.

“Hi, Ralph!” Ursula says. She’s excited because she hasn’t seen her friend since last December.

“Buenos dias,” says Ralph the raven.

“What?” asks Ursula.

“It means good morning in Spanish. Did you have a good sleep?”

“Yes. How was your winter?” Ursula asks.

“Muy bien. That means very good.”

“Why aren’t you speaking Animal language?

“Ah,” Ralph says, “because it was cold here in January, I decided to go on vacation to Mexico. Down there, I decided I liked being Mexican and now speak Spanish.”

“What? How can you be Mexican, Ralph?” asks Ursula. “You were born here in Yosemite.”

“I can be whatever I want to be,” Ralph says, “which now means Mexican. I had a wonderful winter and have also changed my name to Raul.”

“You can’t just change who you are! You are a Yosemite raven named Ralph, not a Mexican raven named Raul. I was born a Yosemite bear and will always be a Yosemite bear.”

“But you can be a Mexican bear if you want. Oh, Ursula. It’s fun and easy to be whatever you want to be. I can be warm and friendly, yes? I can be funny, yes? Then why not Mexican?”

“I suppose,” Ursula hesitates and scratches her head, which now hurts a little. “But things are things, and you are you, isn’t that true?”

“Look at this snow. Is it snow, or is it water? Look at these rocks. Are they rocks or just part of Half Dome? Oh, Ursula, it is so much fun to change into something new without really changing at all.”

“Ralph, I mean Raul, you are a dear friend, but I’m hungry and have just woken up from a 3-month sleep. This is too hard for my brain right now. We have all spring to talk about it. Right now, I would love a pizza. Have you seen Marmot?”

The Yellow-bellied Marmot is their other friend, and the three have had many adventures together.

“Si. That means yes,” answers Raul.

“Raul, would you please just speak Animal for now?” asks Ursula.

“Okay. Yes, I saw Marmot digging for worms by Mirror Lake.”

Ursula hears Mommy’s voice emerging from the entrance to the cave: “Ursula, are you outside without your boots? Come inside, or you’ll catch a cold.”

“See you in a couple of minutes,” Ursula tells Raul and heads back into her cave.

Marmot

Mommy and Daddy are awake and looking around the kitchen for food.

“Didn’t we put acorns in this basket last November?” Daddy asks.

“You ate them when you woke up for a couple of hours in January,” replies Mommy.

“Oh, bother,” Daddy says. “I am starving.”

“Me too. But you can’t go out,” says Mommy, “until you check on the two-way radio to see if any rangers are around. Don’t forget you now have a tag in your left ear.”

Daddy reaches up, feels his tag, and then walks to view his ear in the mirror.

“Oh, double bother.”

He makes a noise, but it isn’t the snoring that Ursula knows quite well from months of sleeping in Daddy’s bed; instead, it’s a loud rumble that comes from his stomach.

“I’m very hungry. Where are those fish we caught last fall?”

“Those,” Mommy says, “you ate in February.”

“Triple bother. Okay, I’ll check the two-way.”

Daddy walks into the other room, which he uses as the radio room. He switches on the radio and hears static. As he tunes in to the right frequency to listen to the rangers, he hears them discussing a bear near the Ahwahnee that is walking through the parking lot.

“Ursula, here are your boots,” says Mommy. “When you’re out, stay away from the Ahwahnee.”

As Ursula crawls out of their cave, Daddy follows right behind and announces to Bear Town that no rangers are nearby. He then asks Mommy, “I’m going to go to Mirror Lake to find trout trapped in the pools.”

“We’ll all go. We need a good breakfast after our hibernation. I hope your stomach grumbles don’t scare the fish,” laughs Mommy.

Ursula leads the way and hurries up the steep, rocky path as Mommy and Daddy lumber behind. Being outside with her parents and feeling the fresh breeze on her nose delights Ursula. When she sees the lake in the distance, it shimmers in the sun, reflecting Half Dome behind it. Patches of snow cling to the outcroppings, drip-drip-dripping water into the lake. Daddy catches up and takes a deep breath of fresh mountain air.

They see trout in the first pool, and Daddy goes into the cold water to trap the fish against a bank. Ursula watches but then hears a ‘Boo!’

Ursula jumps, turns around, and gives her friend, Marmot, a big squeeze and nose rub. She’s so happy to see her fuzzy best friend.

Mommy and Daddy wave hello and offer to share the three trout they caught. “It’s good to have the bears awake,” Marmot says with a laugh and a mouth full of fish. “Otherwise, I never get to dine on trout.”

They feast and then carry several trout back to their cave. Daddy knows that Bear Town is waking up and all bears are hungry. This is the time of year when every bear must be careful and avoid rangers.

Ursula stays at Mirror Lake with Marmot, and both make a secret sound in Animal, calling their friend Raul. He comes swooping in from the treetops. The threesome is happy to be back together and begins to plan tricks they’ll play on the tourists during the summer.

“Too bad about Daddy,” says Raul. “It was courageous of him to try to protect the young bears from stealing food from the garbage can at Curry Village. And it was scary when the rangers caught him and put the tag in his ear. If they catch him again, he will get a tag in his other ear, and then they will take him away in the cage on their truck.”

“What do you mean they will take Daddy away?” Ursula asks worriedly.

“Two-tagged bears are not allowed to stay in Yosemite. The Rangers will take him far away. I’m sorry, Ursula. I thought you knew.”

“So that’s why Mommy and Daddy argued last fall. Well, he just can’t get caught again. I’ll bring lots of food for Daddy so he doesn’t ever have to leave Bear Town,” concludes Ursula.

“Ralph,” says Marmot, “you must help. You can fly over the roads near Bear Town and tell everyone if you see ranger trucks coming.”

“Marmot, I am now Mexican, and my new name is Raul. Comprende?”

“What? What do you mean your new name is Raul? Your name was Ralph last year, and I will continue to call you Ralph. You can’t just change your name. I am a Yellow-bellied Marmot. Do you think I like being called a Yellow-bellied Marmot? Do you think I would pick that name if I could? No, but that’s what I am. I can’t change it, and you can’t change yours. Of course, I’d rather be called Brave Marmot or Mighty Marmot, but I’m not.”

“Well, I’m not going to answer to any name but Raul,” Raul responds, crossing his wings to make sure Marmot knows he is serious.

Marmot tries to cross his little arms, but they aren’t long enough, and he looks a bit silly trying. “Ralph, Ralph, Ralph.” He says it three times, making Raul mad.

Ursula sees her two friends arguing on the first beautiful day of spring. She doesn’t want the day to start this way, and even after her delicious trout meal, she thinks about pizza.

“Let’s go over to Curry, where we can play our trick again on the tourists and steal their pizza! I can almost taste the pepperoni.”

Marmot and Raul both believe they are right, but they are also hungry. Since Ursula asks, they agree to put aside their differences and follow her.

Pizza Patio

The Pizza Patio at Curry Village, with outdoor tables, is built on a deck several feet above the ground. This gives Ursula and Marmot plenty of room to crawl underneath and to plan their pizza attacks. Raul, of course, doesn’t need to hide and can fly away whenever the rangers come.

They spot a family at a table with plates of delicious slices of pizza. Raul hops on the table beside them and says, “Pizza, pizza.” Now, ravens can actually speak English, just like parrots. Did you know that? The children didn’t, and they couldn’t believe their ears. They run over to Raul with a little bit of pizza while the parents warn, “Don’t feed the bird.”

As the entire family stares at Raul, Marmot sneaks up to the deck, jumps up on the table, and grabs two pizzas with his sharp claws. He then retreats to where Ursula sits under the deck and hands her one warm slice.

“Mmmm, I had hibernation dreams about pizza. This is the best pizza ever!” Ursula smacks her lips as she and Marmot pull pepperoni slices off one by one and drop them into their open mouths.

The father sees the raid on his family’s pizza but is too slow to react. He laughs with his family and returns to the Pizza Patio window to order new slices.

As he returns to the table with new pizza slices, he reminds the children to be careful. “There won’t be any more pizza after these.”

The mother asks, “Do you think those animals just played a trick on us? That Marmot was certainly very brave.”

Marmot is pleased to hear this, proving he isn’t ‘yellow-bellied,’ which means cowardly. He thinks he’s brave, but what a thing it is to have such a negative trait part of your name. It’s like being called a Selfish Shellfish or a Greedy Gopher. It didn’t seem fair!

Back by the table, Raul squawks. “Fire, fire. Run, run.”

The father laughs. “We won’t be fooled this time! But I must say there are some very smart animals here in Yosemite.”

Marmot’s Trick

After eating several slices of pizza, Ursula and Marmot are stuffed. They give the crusts to Raul, who pecks at them until he, too, is satisfied.

The full and happy threesome sing in Animal and walk back towards Bear Town. Raul is trying to teach them a Mexican song called Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes or Cabeza, Hombros, Piernas, Pies.

Raul starts,

Cabeza, Hombros, Piernas, Pies….Piernas, Pies

Ojos, Orejas, Boca y Nariz,

Cabeza, Hombros, Piernas, Pies…..Piernas,Pies

Ursula loves to sing, and with her full tummy, she couldn’t be happier. Marmot doesn’t want to learn the Spanish words, but Ursula is delighted that he gets into the mood and sings along as best he can.

They stay away from the tourist paths, walk past the corral with the mules that bring food and equipment to camps in the high country, and arrive at the bank of the Merced River in a place called Happy Isles. Here, the water and rocks play together and accompany the friends’ singing with loud gurgles.

Sleepy with a full stomach, Ursula leans against a big Black Oak tree. The spring sun warms her furry body, and she soon falls fast asleep.

Marmot isn’t sleepy, so he begins to explore and discovers crocuses that have started to poke through the snow near the river.

Marmot picks one for Ursula, but then has an idea for a trick, which he whispers to Raul. Raul takes the crocus and, standing on Marmot’s arm, sprinkles the orange pollen on the top of Ursula’s head until her head becomes quite orange.

After they finish, they begin to laugh, which wakes Ursula up. She rubs her eyes and asks,

“What’s so funny?”

Neither Marmot nor Raul will tell Ursula, which makes her mad, but she’s feeling a bit more rested, and the threesome decides to walk up the beginning of the John Muir Trail to Nevada Falls.

While looking at the beautiful waterfalls, they discover a backpack. Ursula knocks the backpack over, and a bear canister rolls out.

The bear canister is what hikers use to protect their food from bears who want to eat the food inside. It has tiny screws on top that lock the lid. Ursula tries to open it, but the screws are too small for her big paws. Marmot, who has claws like a Swiss Army knife, can turn the little screws and, to the delight of everyone, finds cheese and candy inside. Ursula grabs several Twix candy bars, Marmot eats the cheese, and Raul pecks at some crackers. Their tummies are stuffed, and they smile big smiles as they walk and sing back to Bear Town.

Ursula enters her cave, gives Daddy the candy bars, and asks Mommy if she wants help preparing the trout for dinner. Mommy looks up and exclaims, “My stars!” Seeing Mommy’s gaze, Ursula heads straight to the bathroom mirror.

“Oh, no!” she says, touching the bright orange fur on the top of her head. “What happened?” She looks in the mirror, turning her head from side to side. She fluffs the orange so that it stands straight up. She is upset with Marmot and Raul for playing such a trick on her and walks out of the bathroom.

“What have you done?” asks Mommy.

“Marmot and Raul colored my hair orange. I think they did it with pollen from a flower.”

“Well, go wash it out in the river,” suggests Mommy.

Ursula agrees and heads out of the cave toward the river. But as she gets closer, she thinks more about her new look. When she gets to the river, she gazes into the reflective waters and sees the orange spikes on top.

“You know, I quite like it!” she exclaims. “I think it looks very cool and will keep it.”

As she walks back to the cave, she wonders whether she likes it because Mommy told her to wash it out or because it will show Marmot and Raul that the trick’s now on them.

She smiles and wonders how to tell Mommy she wants to keep it.

She concludes, “I’m old enough to decide how I want to look.” But as she walks into the cave, ready to stand up to Mommy, she hears Mommy and Daddy in a serious conversation.

“I’ve just heard on the two-way radio that rangers have captured our friend and cave neighbor, Barry Bear. Barry walked by a car with an open window, saw a sandwich, and grabbed it. Rangers jumped out and put a rope around his neck. They are now taking Barry to a place far away.”

“What will Barry Bear’s family do?” Mommy cries. “Oh, I feel so sorry for them. Daddy, you must be very careful. You already have one tag. What would we do without you?”

“I know,” Daddy frets. Ursula listens and forgets all about her orange hair.

Rangers

The rangers have no idea how many bears live in Bear Town, as there are many cave homes. However, all the bears depend upon Daddy to keep track of the ranger patrols and warn them when rangers are in the area.

When there aren’t rangers around, Daddy yells in Animal, “All clear.”

With that, the bears can go to campgrounds, Curry Village, or the Ahwahnee Hotel to see if they can find picnic baskets, backpacks, or open garbage cans.

Bears should eat trout or berries, but sometimes they can’t resist the temptation of tourist food. Daddy and Mommy don’t know that Ursula goes over to Pizza Patio, but Ursula is sure that Raul is careful to make sure there are no rangers around when they are under the deck. Plus, Ursula doesn’t technically grab any slices of the pizzas; Marmot does. She wonders if the rangers would understand this if she were caught.

In the cave, Mommy begins the spring cleaning and asks Ursula to remove the grass rugs and replace them with new ones. Of course, bears never keep rugs made from fellow animals in their caves.

As they clean, Daddy listens to the radio and hears of a climbing accident at El Capitan, which is quite far down the valley. All available rangers are asked to assist in the rescue.

Daddy puts down his headphones, goes outside, and yells, “All clear.”

He then pops his head in and says, “I must go over to the Ahwahnee Hotel to ensure that none of the bears gets into trouble. You know how they are in the spring. I’ll turn the two-way radio on so you can listen while you clean.”

“Be very careful,” Mommy warns.

While dusting the shelves and cleaning the food bins, Mommy and Ursula listen to the radio chatter. They hear, “Ranger truck 105. Taking the climber to the hospital for treatment.”

“Oh, no.” Ursula cries, “The rangers are heading to the hospital, which is right near the Ahwahnee. I must run to warn Daddy.”

Mommy knows Ursula is right and tells her to hurry.

Ursula races out of the cave and speeds to the Ahwahnee as fast as her little legs can run.

She stops in absolute fear when she gets to the lawn alongside the Ahwahnee. There, right outside of the hotel, several rangers have Daddy in ropes.

She screams for Daddy, and all the animals around the Ahwahnee know that something terrible has happened. A brief shadow crosses the lawn, and Raul lands.

“I saw the whole thing,” he says. “As the rangers were heading to the hospital, a few saw Daddy urging the other bears to get away from the hotel and run back to Bear Town. He was trying to get them to leave, but he was closest to the rangers. When they saw his tag, they went straight for him. Daddy saved the other bears but got caught himself.”

Ursula starts to cry.

A Second Tag

“What can we do?” Ursula yells to Daddy. “Tell Mommy what happened! I love you,” he shouts back.

With that, the rangers drag Daddy into the back of the bear control truck and lock the cage with a big key. Daddy looks through the bars and sees Ursula, tears on her cheeks. The rangers start the truck, and Ursula watches as Daddy disappears in the distance.

Raul immediately hatches a plan to follow the truck. “We need to know where they are taking Daddy,” he says. “Ursula, run back to your cave and tell Mommy. Then get on the two-way radio and see if you can overhear the rangers talking. I’ll follow the truck, so we don’t lose it or Daddy Bear.”

Ursula runs back to the cave to tell Mommy the news, but she has already heard it on the radio. “Oh, why did he go? Why did he try to save the other bears? He was the one with the tag.”

Ursula hugs Mommy, and they listen to the rangers. They report that they have captured a tagged bear at the Ahwahnee and have now put a tag on his other ear. Daddy is now a two-tag bear. They also overhear them, saying they are driving to the Tuolumne Lodge for dinner and will then take him far away from Yosemite.

Ursula knows she must act quickly and runs out of the cave. Marmot is waiting.

“I just heard,” he says. “We’ll have to run to Tuolumne to save him. Where’s Raul?”

“He is following the ranger’s truck.”

“Let’s go,” says Marmot, “though my little legs will have difficulty keeping up.”

“I’ll carry you when you need a rest,” Ursula responds.

Ursula runs back into the cave. “I’m going to try to save Daddy. Don’t worry, Mommy, but keep listening to the two-way.”

Ursula and Marmot start running. They fly by Mirror Lake and then climb up through Tenaya Canyon, the fastest trail to Tuolumne Lodge.

After several hours of running, they stop to catch their breath. As they do, they hear a welcome, “Caw, caw.”

Raul swoops down. “The ranger truck stopped for gas and will be at Tuolumne Lodge in about an hour. Catching them there is our only chance. Run as fast as possible and keep on the trail, as it will lead you to Tuolumne Lodge. I’ll continue to monitor the truck.”

Two hours later, both Ursula and Marmot reach Tuolumne Lodge. They are terribly tired, but Raul is in the parking lot, standing beside the evil truck with Daddy inside.

Rescue

“Just in time,” Raul says. “The rangers have gone in for dinner and will stay the night. I overheard them talking about taking Daddy to Oregon, which is too far for Daddy ever to return.”

Ursula, who had held her emotions in on the long run from Yosemite Valley, now lets them all tumble out.

“Daddy, I never thought I’d see you again!” She cries, and they rub their noses through the bars.

Daddy reaches out his paw and takes Ursula’s paw. “I’m so sorry. I was only trying to save some of the other bears.”

“I know,” Ursula says. “Raul told me what happened.”

Marmot rubs Ursula’s back to comfort her, then pats her orange hair. “Below that orange hair is a big brain. We need it to come up with a plan.”

“Don’t worry,” says Ursula. “Let me think.”

As Ursula sits and thinks, Raul and Marmot whisper, and Marmot goes to the back of the truck and inserts one of his razor-sharp claws into the lock.

“It won’t work,” says Daddy. “I’ve been trying to get my claw into the lock for hours.”

But as Marmot turns his claw, they hear a click, and the lock springs open. Daddy pushes the cage door and leaps out in great joy.

Oh, how the four animals celebrate. Daddy does a bear dance right in the Tuolumne parking lot.

“Well done, Brave Marmot!” they all exclaim.

“Be careful,” says Raul. The rangers may come out at any time to check. I’ll check to make sure they are still eating dinner.”

All three hug, and Raul returns and announces, “The coast is clear.”

With that, Daddy, Ursula, and Marmot run across the parking lot, past the dining room where the rangers sit talking, across the Tuolumne River, and out into the wilderness of Yosemite’s high country.

After running a mile, Raul lands and says, “You’re safe for now, but they will come after you. The rangers won’t let a two-tag bear escape. Be careful, and don’t leave paw prints in the snow. Try to walk on the large granite slabs as much as you can. Without paw prints, the rangers can’t track you. You’ll be safer if you go down Fletcher Canyon rather than on the trail you took here.”

They all agree and begin walking along the slippery granite ledges, but still find snow drifts. Marmot’s little legs have a hard time keeping up.

“Jump on my back,” says Daddy. “It’s the least I can do to repay you for unlocking that awful cage.”

Marmot leaps onto his shoulders and hangs on tight.

They walk until they come to Tuolumne Pass, where they look down upon the Vogelsang campground. Fletcher and Vogelsang peaks are on their left, and Fletcher Canyon is just beyond. It’s a beautiful site and helps calm the entire crew after a scary time. Ursula feels herself relax a bit as she hugs Daddy’s soft fur. She can’t wait to get him home.

Vogelsang Camp

Billy

As they look closer at the campground, they notice that a pack train has arrived to start setting up the Vogelsang campsite, which Yosemite tourists use during the summer. The traveling group gazes down at a mule train with big packs on its backs and sees a cowboy packer going from mule to mule, untying the heavy packs and dropping them onto the rock patio outside the stone hut.

The packer wears a heavy fur-lined jacket, leather gloves, a cowboy hat, a red bandana, chaps, and cowboy boots. He sings an old Miwok song.

Raul flies down to assess the situation and determine whether they need to find another route to the valley. They hope to spend the night near the hut, away from the freezing night winds.

“Well, look who we have here,” says Billy, the packer, as he tilts back his cowboy hat and looks up at Raul.

Raul says something in English, and to his surprise, Billy responds in Animal.

Recognizing the old packer as a friend he met once years ago, Raul quickly retells the story of Daddy and the capture.

“So,” Billy says after listening to Raul, “we have ourselves a runaway bear, do we? Well, tell the whole gang to come down because Billy’s fixing dinner.”

Raul flies back up to the pass and tells everyone they are in luck, as Billy has brought food and equipment from Yosemite Valley.

“Billy is one of the old packers here in Yosemite. He belongs to a tribe called the Miwoks, who have lived in Yosemite for thousands of years. Billy leads pack trips and spends most of his life on a horse or around a campfire. He says that he learned to speak Animal from his grandmother, who was the magical healer, or shaman, of her tribe. “We can trust him,” Raul assures the others.

The tired, cold group walks the remaining hundred yards to the camp, and Billy waves to them as they approach.

“Welcome,” Billy says in Animal and goes over to Daddy. “What do we have here? Two tags, I see. You’re safe here with Billy.”

Billy looks at Marmot and Ursula. “And who do we have here?”

Raul explains, “Ursula is Daddy’s daughter and led the rescue. Marmot’s claws were so small and sharp that he could undo the lock on the cage.”

“The heroes! I love your orange hair, Ursula! And, Marmot, you are a brave one. Now, sit down and make yourself comfortable. I’ll put these packs into the hut and cook a big dinner for you.”

Billy rounds up the mules and puts them into a small corral. He takes wood from the side of the stone hut and starts a big fire. Daddy puts his arm around Ursula.

“You saved me, Ursula,” he says—you and your friends. I realized in the back of the ranger truck how much I had almost lost. I promise never to get caught again and will try to make sure that no other bear in Bear Town ever goes through what I’ve just been through.”

Ursula lets her tired legs relax and feels the warmth of the fire and her Daddy’s embrace. Billy takes a couple of big steaks from a packer box and asks, “Who likes it raw, and who likes it cooked?”

Billy cooks three steaks and gives Raul a large handful of peanuts. They eat until they are completely full. Billy fixes some coffee and asks if anyone wants a cup, which no one does. Billy starts to tell stories about his tribe and how the Miwoks lived in Yosemite, at peace with the bears, ravens, and marmots for thousands of years.

“Back then, the bears lived in Bear Town, and we lived in the Miwok village where the Ahwahnee Hotel now stands. We ate acorns and trout, but there was plenty for everyone. Each fall, before the bears went into hibernation and the tribe went down the mountain to where it was warmer, we had a big celebration. The bears, the ravens, marmots, and Miwoks ate, danced, and sang in Animal until morning.

Billy continues, “That was a long time ago, but we Miwoks still sing the songs we sang at those celebrations.”

With that, Billy sings a couple of songs in Animal. He has an awful singing voice, but the words about the Miwoks and the animals celebrating together are beautiful. Daddy, Ursula, Marmot, and Raul join in, and soon, they are accompanied by the mountains as the songs echo off the surrounding peaks. The entire Fletcher Valley sings of joy and the friendship between the Miwoks and the animals of Yosemite.

After the campfire dies down, Billy pulls a blanket over his body and falls asleep quickly. The others lie down and eventually fall asleep, but Ursula wants to stay awake. Daddy’s arm is around her, but she doesn’t want to move. She looks up at the Milky Way and, of course, the bear constellations in the sky, Ursa Major (the Big Dipper) and Ursa Minor (the Little Dipper).

Escape

Ursula wakes to the sound of braying mules, and soon after, so does Billy.

Billy throws some Fletcher Creek water on his face, feeds the mules, and starts a small fire for his coffee and bacon.

“Wow, Daddy,” Ursula whispers, “that bacon smells great!”

The sun comes down off Fletcher Peak and joins them around the fire. Everyone has had a good night’s sleep and is ready to continue their journey back to Yosemite.

“Gather around,” Billy says. “You know the rangers will be looking for you, and I can see your tracks in the snow coming down from the pass. Here’s what we must do. Daddy and Ursula, you need to make tracks heading across the pass, then come back down backward. That will make the rangers think you’ve gone to the next canyon. Meanwhile, I’ll empty the packs and get the mules lined up in a pack train.”

Raul and Marmot stay in camp because neither of them has left tracks – Raul flew, and Marmot rode on Daddy. The Rangers have no idea that Marmot is one of the biggest pizza thieves in Yosemite and would be after him, too, if they knew.

While Billy packs the mules, Daddy and Ursula make their misleading tracks. Raul stands on Billy’s shoulder, discussing with him the Yosemite before we had rangers, tourists, and trucks.

“One day,” says Billy, “we’ll get Yosemite back, and everyone will share and speak Animal just like in the good old days.”

It takes Daddy and Ursula a while since walking backward in the snow is hard work. When they return to Vogelsang, they look up, and Billy assures them that the one-way tracks will fool the rangers. The mules are lined up and ready. Billy leans over and picks up Marmot.

“And for you,” he says, “I have made a little seat on Mo, our lead mule.” Billy places Marmot onto a little saddle, which Marmot finds very warm and comfortable. He snuggles in and thinks how much nicer this is than running through the snow on his little legs.

“We’ll fool the rangers, but they’ll figure it out and return to Fletcher Canyon, so we can’t leave any other tracks. Daddy and Ursula, you go first, and then the mules will follow and cover up your paw prints with their hoof prints.”

“How lucky,” thinks Ursula, “that we found Billy.”

Off they go, Daddy is leading, followed by Ursula, Mo (with Marmot on top), Flo, and the rest of the mules. Billy follows up behind to ensure that no bear tracks can be seen. They travel down Fletcher Canyon. The spring sky is a glorious blue, and the peaks and snow are brilliant white.

There is plenty for everyone to eat. The mules reach down and eat the fresh green grass, and Daddy and Ursula find little pools where trout are still stuck from the long winter. They give a small trout to Marmot while Billy chews on a grizzled piece of meat called jerky.

After an hour or so on the trail, Mo asks, “What is the favorite fruit of mules? Flo responds, “I don’t know, what?”

“Straw-berries,” Mo answers, and each mule lets out a loud, ‘Hee, hee, hee, haw’ laugh.

“Okay, Mo, here’s one for you. What did I do to win the best Yosemite Mule prize?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, I don’t know either. I was just out- standing in my field.”

Again, another long series of ‘hee, hee, hee, haws.’ Marmot, Ursula, and Daddy join in the laughter.

Then Mo asks another: “What kind of bear isn’t hungry?”

“I don’t know,” responds Flo.

“A stuffed bear,” and the mules break into another couple of minutes of hee-hee-hee-haws as they pack train walks in stride.

Mo then turns his head and asks Marmot, “What language do mules speak?”

“Animal,” Marmot answers.

“Nope,” Mo responds, “AniMule.”

They come to a steep stretch of the trail, and since it is hard work for everyone, Mo takes a deep breath and yells, ‘16.’ Flo hee-haws a long laugh. They walk a little longer, then Flo responds, ‘22,’ and they both laugh again.

Ursula looks at Marmot, who shrugs his furry shoulders. “Why are 16 and 22 funny?”

“Well,” Mo responds. “Flo and I have been part of this pack train for so many years that long ago, we decided it was easier to number some of our jokes. Then, all we say is a number, remember the joke, and laugh. It helps when you are out of breath on a steep trail.”

Marmot stands up in his little chair and yells, “8,” but the mules don’t laugh. He then leans down and asks, “Mo, isn’t 8 a joke?”

“Yes,” answers Mo, “and a good one. But you know, Marmot, some animals just can’t tell a joke.”

Everyone laughs at this, and Marmot sits down. Ursula then tries, yelling, “28.”

Flo laughs, but old Mo is absolutely beside himself with laughter. He laughs so hard that Billy comes to the front of the pack line to see if Mo is okay.

“What happened?” asks Billy.

Ursula explained that she had called out a joke number, and Mo had just collapsed in laughter.

Billy looks at Mo and asks in Animal, “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” says Mo, “I’ve just never heard joke 28 before.”

Now everyone laughs with Mo.

Out of Fletcher Canyon, the intrepid group climbs down hundreds of switchbacks to the Merced Lake campsite, where they will rest for lunch.

Marmot finds some old logs, which Daddy rolls over, and Marmot feasts on delicious salamanders and grubs, swallowing them by the pawful. Ursula thinks they must taste awful.

They sing songs as they continue into Little Yosemite, though Billy’s voice is both louder and worse than the previous night. As they approach Little Yosemite, the valley above Yosemite Valley, Billy warns, “The rangers may be coming up from below to try to intercept Daddy returning home.”

His Miwok ears hear horses trotting on a distant granite slab as he says this.

“Daddy, Marmot, and Ursula,” Billy says, “run over and hide in those rocks. I’ll have the mules walk around to cover up your prints.”

As the threesome runs to hide, Billy erases the prints as quickly as possible. Billy then leans against Mo and chews on his jerky until the rangers arrive.

Tracking Daddy

Back in Bear Town, Mommy has been listening to the two-way radio and jumps when she hears, “This is Ranger Al. After our dinner at the Tuolumne Lodge, we found that the two-tagged bear had escaped. We don’t know how, but we saw his tracks, a smaller bear’s tracks, and what we think are marmot tracks. We’re changing into winter hiking clothes and going after them.”

Mommy is relieved to hear that the rescuers found a way to free Daddy, but she doesn’t know that they have found Billy and have joined his pack train.

The next day, as she listens, she hears, “We think the two-tagged bears will try to return to Yosemite Valley. Four rangers are riding up there to find and catch him in Little Yosemite.”

Mommy knows that she must warn Daddy and Ursula. She pulls on her boots and earmuffs, closes the cave, and runs past Happy Isles and Nevada Falls into Little Yosemite.

When she arrives, she calls out in Animal, “Are there any bears around?”

A couple of bears emerge from their caves and come over to Mommy.

“My husband has escaped, but he has two tags. Has anyone seen him come through Little Yosemite?”

The bears growl at the idea that the rangers have two-tagged a bear. “Not yet,” one bear offers, “but we’ll help in any way we can.”

Just then, a bear lumbers towards them. “A pack train is coming down from Merced Camp and is being led by two bears. One of the bears has two tags and the other a patch of orange hair.”

“My Daddy and Ursula,” cries Mommy. “They’re safe!”

Mommy and the other bears watch from afar as Daddy, Ursula, the mules, and Billy all come to a stop. Mommy starts to run over, but halts when she sees Billy point Daddy, Ursula, and Marmot toward her and the rocks. She’s not sure who Billy is and whether he’s dangerous. As Daddy and Ursula get near, they see Mommy.

“Mommy!” Daddy and Ursula yell their happiness together.

But Mommy puts a claw to her lips and points to four rangers who have just emerged, riding horses and carrying big rope lassos.

“Hi, Billy,” one of the rangers says. “We’re looking for a runaway bear. Two tags.”

“Runaway? What do you mean, a runaway?” Billy responds. “Isn’t the bear from Yosemite? It seems like he’s not a runaway bear but a runahome bear.” Billy laughs loudly and slaps his cowboy hat on his chaps.

“This isn’t funny, Billy. We’re talking about a dangerous bear who attacks tourists.”

“Well, here’s how I see it. The bears were here before the tourists came, and now we worry they might be attacked. Maybe, just maybe, the tourists should leave and let the bears alone. Why don’t you use your truck cage to round up some of those loud-mouthed tourists?”

“It doesn’t matter what you think, Billy,” says another ranger. He’s a two-tag bear, and when we catch him, he’s a goner.”

All the bears hear this and shudder from their hiding spot in the rocks. Ursula lets out a little cry.

The rangers look at the mules and then see the little seat for Marmot on top of Mo.

“What do we have here, Billy?” One of the rangers asks.

“That’s for my friend, a little marmot,” Billy replies.

“We heard there were tracks from a marmot next to the truck at Tuolumne Lodge. Is there any chance this might be the same?”

One of the rangers examines the snow and spots the bear and marmot tracks going off to the rocks by the cliff.

“I think we’ve just found our two-tagged bear,” he tells the other rangers. Let’s go.”

With that, the four rangers dismount and walk cautiously towards the bears’ hiding place.

Ursula thinks, then says, “We don’t have much time, but I have a plan. Marmot, can your incredible claws unscrew these tags from Daddy’s ears?”

Daddy kneels, and Marmot takes out one of his sharp claws. He inserts it into the little screw and quickly turns it, just like he did with the bear canister and the lock on the cage. The first tag pops off, and all the bears chorus their approval.

Daddy softly says, “Oh, thank you, thank you.”

Marmot then carefully unscrews the second tag. Daddy is no longer a tagged bear! He quickly digs a hole and buries the tags in the dirt so no one will ever find them. Then Ursula says, “Well done, Brave Marmot! We animals always look out for one another.” She turns to the bears who have circled around her, “How would all of you like to join us in Bear Town for a big bear celebration?”

All bears love parties, and over 50 bears nod their delight.

“Great! The party will start in an hour, and there will be plenty of food and singing for everyone! However, we must travel together, with Daddy and Ursula in the middle. Let’s go!”

As the rangers approach the rocks, over 50 bears emerge and stampede past them, onto the trail, and toward Yosemite Valley and Bear Town.

The rangers hold their lassos helplessly, hoping to spot yellow tags. But, no, there are no yellow tags, just one little orange head in the middle of the bear stampede.

The rangers stand completely confused and overwhelmed by so many bears.

Billy watches the bears run by and slaps his cowboy hat on his chaps. “This is the best thing I’ve seen in all my days,” he laughs. “What’s your plan now?” he asks the rangers. “Are you going to try to round them all up?”

Celebration

Raul makes sure the rangers don’t follow the bear stampede and then travels with Billy, Mo, and Flo back down to the pack mule corral near Curry Village.

“I’ll come over to Bear Town in a few minutes,” Billy tells Raul. “I want to be part of the party.”

“Billy,” Raul asks, “what are Ravens called in Miwok?”

“Kakul. Why?” Billy asks.

“No reason,” he responds and flies back towards Bear Town.

The bears of Bear Town roll out a festive welcome for their bear friends from Little Yosemite. Food is gathered from the caves and placed on long tables of fallen logs. Billy arrives, and the mayor of Bear Town takes his place on a large rock. He gets everyone’s attention and says, “Welcome home, Daddy! Let’s also cheer for our heroes, Mommy, Ursula, Marmot, and Raul. And, of course, a special thanks to our Miwok friend and protector, Billy.”

“Daddy, we know you were caught trying to protect the other bears. Thank you.” All the bears from Bear Town and Little Yosemite applaud and shout ‘hooray’ in Animal. The mayor continues, “We are grateful for your help and have elected you Head of Security for Bear Town.” With that, he gives Daddy a ranger’s hat taken from one of the ranger’s trucks. When the clapping stops, the mayor extends his paw toward Ursula.

“What a brave and smart bear you are, Ursula. You will be Daddy’s assistant on the two-way,” he says, giving Ursula a smaller ranger hat to cover her orange hair.

He continues, “We also want to thank Raul and Marmot. Raul, thank you for your quick thinking and steady scouting. Marmot, you have the best lock and tag-opening claws of all animals! With that, he puts a bear claw necklace around Marmot’s neck. “Consider this bear claw the key to Bear Town, and all marmots and bears are forever friends.”

Now, Marmot has never received special attention and is quite embarrassed. His little red face contrasts nicely with his yellow belly.

“Let us now celebrate with our Miwok friend as we used to in the old days.” The mayor then points toward the food on the log table, and the celebration begins.

Ursula sits on a rock with her two friends and says, “Our adventure was very exciting, but all I want to do for the rest of the summer is to swim in the Merced River, play with the butterflies in the meadow, and play tricks on tourists at Pizza Patio.”

Marmot responds, “I can’t wait to tell my marmot friends of my adventures. You know, marmots rarely have adventures or go far from home. I even have Mo’s and Flo’s jokes to tell.”

Marmot continues, “There’ll be plenty of pizza this summer. Afterward, we can go by and say ‘hi’ to Billy and yell out a new joke number to Mo and Flo in hopes they’ll laugh.”

Ursula smiles. “Marmot, you are the bravest, best friend a bear could ever have. I will call you Brave Marmot from now on.” With that, she squeezes Marmot and rubs his little yellow belly.

“Yes,” Marmot says, “I like the sound of Brave Marmot. Maybe I will change my name after all.” He fluffs out his fur and stands up as high as a marmot can stand.

“And, Raul,” Ursula continues…Raul interrupts her.

“I’ve changed my name to Kakul,” he says.

“What!” Ursula laughs. “Already?”

“Yes, Billy told me it is the Miwok name for raven. I am now Kakul the raven.”

“Okay, Kakul. I will call you whatever you’d like to be called. Most of all, I will always call you ‘friend.’

“Kakul, Kakul, Kakul,” chants Marmot, and they all laugh.

After the party, Ursula heads home with Mommy and Daddy. While she brushes her teeth, she sees her orange hair. “Mommy, I think I like my brown hair color better, so I will wash out the orange.”

“So do I,” Mommy says.

Daddy steps over to his two-way and listens to the rangers talk.

“That bear with two tags? Well, it’s as if he just disappeared in the high country of Yosemite. But we don’t understand that somehow, the bears knew what we were doing and devised a plan. Fighting one bear is easy, but we can’t take all of them on. Do you think they have some secret language we don’t know about?”

With that, Daddy, Mommy, and Ursula break into heartfelt laughter.

The three bears climb into bed, and soon, Ursula hears Mommy and Daddy’s regular sleep breathing. Outside, Billy is still singing the old Miwok songs. His terrible voice carries into the spring night and echoes off Yosemite’s granite walls as if each mountain wishes to pass his song quickly to another.

Ursula looks up at the ceiling, but there’s no drop of water this time. She thinks about what could have happened and what has. She knows it will take a long time to understand, but she is now very happy to lie quietly in bed listening to Daddy’s snores.

Addendum

We hope you enjoyed your adventure with Ursula. The next book in the series is Ursula and the Yosemite Fire.

If you are a librarian, you are always welcome to free copies. Please send your request to ayosemitebear@gmail.com using your school email address.

Thank you,

Weeden Minor

The Ursula Trilogy