Boxcar Children 61 - Growling Bear Mystery by Charles Tang, Gertrude Chandler Warner Page A

lookout area.
    “Did you ever find the cabin, Grandfather?” Violet asked.
    “I’m afraid not,” Mr. Alden answered in a disappointed voice. “We never had the right maps or enough time. But looking for it was a fine summer adventure. Maybe this hiker can tell us something.”
    The Aldens greeted the man in the orange hat with friendly smiles.
    The hiker seemed annoyed by the attention. “Tourists all over the place!” he muttered when he saw the children with their grandfather. He grew even grumpier when he had to squeeze by them to get to his truck. “This isn’t a shopping mall, you know,” he said to no one in particular.
    Mr. Alden heard this but spoke to the man anyway. “How do you do, sir? I notice you just came up from one of the Lost Cabin Trails. But there’s a sign saying they’re closed. Do you have any idea why?”
    The man stared at Mr. Alden, then turned away without answering.
    “Sir! Sir!” Mr. Alden continued. “I’m just curious. You see, I hiked some of these trails when I was a boy. I’m hoping my grandchildren here can do the same. Is there a problem?”
    This time the man stopped. “Bears everywhere,” he said.
    Benny shivered at the thought of bears. “But what about the lost cabin?” he asked. “The one with the gold in it.”
    For a few seconds, the man was silent. Finally he spoke directly to Benny. “Never was any such thing as a lost cabin. Just a lot of silly stories and fool hikers looking for something that never existed.”
    With that, the man threw his backpack into his pickup truck and drove off.
    “That’s strange,” Henry said. “If the trails are closed, why was he was hiking on them? He said there were bears, but he was hiking alone, something hikers should never do around Yellowstone.”
    “And he wasn’t wearing any bear bells, either,” Jessie added. “The guidebooks say it’s a good idea for hikers to wear bells or make a lot of noise to keep bears away. Bears don’t like noise.”
    Mr. Alden put his hat back on. “That’s good advice, Jessie. Well, this isn’t where the Lost Cabin Trails start anyway. The trailhead is inside Yellowstone.”
    Benny looked disappointed. “But that hiker says there wasn’t any cabin or anything.”
    Mr. Alden patted Benny’s head. “That’s one man’s opinion. Some of the rest of us have a different one.”
    “Right,” Benny said, perking up again. “They couldn’t call the trails Lost Cabin Trails if there wasn’t a lost cabin, right?”
    Mr. Alden smiled. “Good point, Benny. Now, everyone, line up again. I’ll get a picture for Mrs. McGregor.”
    The four children scurried back to the big log sign.
    “Say cheese and crackers,” Mr. Alden teased.
    “Cheese and crackers,” everyone said.
    “And bears,” Benny added, shivering just a little.
    Mr. Alden snapped several pictures, then waved Benny over. “Okay, okay. Now we really can go, Benny. Hop in the car.”
    “Grandfather, do you really think there are any bears in Yellowstone National Park?” Benny asked.
    “I don’t think there are bears in Yellowstone, Benny, I know there are,” Mr. Alden answered as he drove up and up the twisting mountain road. “When I was a young boy trout fishing out here, I saw a grizzly bear or two. And plenty of moose and elk and buffalo, too. You’ll see some wild animals in Yellowstone, no doubt about it. But bears don’t usually bother people in groups, especially noisy people. So I don’t think you’ll have a bear problem, Benny!”
    Benny’s eyes were round and bright. “Look! There’s a sign that says ‘Watch Out for Buffalo.’ I’m watching, but I don’t see any. Where are they?”
    Mr. Alden chuckled. “Be patient. We’re not in Yellowstone National Park just yet. First we have to stop off in the little town up ahead. It’s the last good place to stock up on our hiking and fishing supplies.”
    “And bear bells,” Benny added. “We can’t forget those.”

CHAPTER 2
Too Many