The stairs were actually carved by the WPA in the 1930s and nobody actually lived in the canyon because they would be swept away by the floods that carved the rocks. Some hikers ahead of us had actually seen the bear with her cub; that morning the half of our party in the other car had see them crossing the road. I heard something snort behind me as I was composing a picture later on, so I immediately pressed the shutter and started walking. It was probably a deer, but since I did not take the time to turn around, I will never know...