Table Of ContentContents
Chapter 1 The family goes camping 4
Chapter 2 On the lake 9
Chapter 3 Hiking 15
Chapter 4 A bear 20
Chapter 5 Grizzly 24
Activities 26
Glossary 34
Key 36
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Chapter 1
The family goes comping
'We're here. Welcome to Yoho National Park,' says Joe's
mother Sarah. She stops the car under a tree on a campsite.
It is July. They are in Yoho National Park in the Rocky
Mountains, in Canada. It is a beautiful place, with tall
mountains and tall trees. The campsite is beside Kicking
Horse River. Joe and his mother love camping in the
Rockies. Joe is fourteen years old. He loves fishing, hiking
and canoeing. They come to Yoho National Park every year.
'Isn't it beautiful, darling?' says Sarah. She smiles at the
man beside her. His name is Ethan.
'Yes, it is beautiful, darling,' Ethan says to Sarah. 'We're
going to have a good time here.'
Joe is sitting in the back of the car with Randall.
Randall is Ethan's son. Joe isn't happy to be at Yoho
National Park this year. He isn't happy to be here with
Ethan and Randall.
Randall is fourteen too. Randall and Ethan are from
South Africa. Randall's mother lives in South Africa, but
Randall lives with his father in Canada. Joe's father is dead,
and now Sarah and Ethan are married. Sarah, Ethan,
Randall and Joe live in a big house in Vancouver. They are
one family now - a new family. But Joe doesn't like that. He
doesn't want a new father, and he doesn't want a brother.
Sarah and Ethan get out of the car. They smile and hold
hands. Joe and Randall sit in the car.
‘Yes, it is beautiful, darling,' says Joe, but he doesn't
smile. He isn't happy.
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Randall doesn't speak.
'Come on, boys, get out of the car,' says Ethan. 'It's time
to put up the tents.'
'But that's our family's tent!' Joe says to Sarah. Sarah and
Ethan are putting up an old tent.
'Ethan and I are going to sleep in this tent,' Sarah says.
'You and Randall can sleep in the new tent, Joe. It's a good
tent.'
'I'll help you boys put up your tent,' says Ethan.
'I don't need your help,' says Joe. 'I can put up a
tent.'
'I can help,' says Randall.
'No, I don't want your help,' says Joe.
'Okay,' says Randall. 'I'm going to read my book.' He
goes and sits in the car.
Joe puts up the tent, but he isn't happy. Sarah sees this
and says, 'Okay, the tents are up. Now we can go fishing.
Come on, Randall.' She gives Joe a hug and says to Ethan
and Randall, 'Joe is good at fishing.'
'Good,' says Ethan, and he smiles at Joe. 'Randall and I
never go fishing. You can be our teacher, Joe, okay?'
Joe doesn't answer him.
They all walk down to the river. Sarah and Ethan smile
and hold hands. The boys walk behind them. They don't
smile.
'A fish! A fish!' says Randall. He has a fish in his hand.
It's jumping.
'Wow!' says Sarah. 'That's a big fish. We can eat it for
dinner.'
Randall is happy. Joe isn't happy - he has no fish.
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That night, Sarah and Ethan cook Randall's fish on the
campfire. They all sit and eat.
'Do you like the fish, Randall?' says Sarah.
'Yes,' Randall says. 'My fish is very nice. I like camping.'
They hear a noise in the night.
'What's that noise?' says Randall. He stands up.
'Oh, that? That's a grizzly bear,' says Joe.
'A grizzly bear?' Randall says, and he runs to the car.
'Ha, ha,' says Joe. '
Sarah says, 'Joe, be nice, please.' She runs after Randall.
She stops him and she gives him a hug. 'No, it's not a
grizzly bear, Randall. There are no bears near the campsite.
Bears never come near here. Don't be scared. Come and sit
by the fire again.'
Sarah and Randall sit by the fire again.
They all hear the noise again.
'What is that noise?' says Ethan. 'It's coming from the
boys' tent.'
Sarah and Ethan go to the tent and look in.
'Look! What is it?' says Ethan.
'It's a skunk!' says Sarah.
Randall looks at Joe. 'A skunk! I'm not going to sleep in
a tent with a skunk. You can sleep there,' he says to Joe.
'I'm going to sleep in the car.'
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Chapter 2
On the lake
It is a beautiful morning. The family is in the car. They are
going from their campsite to Emerald Lake. Ethan is the
driver today.
'Stop here, Ethan,' Sarah says.
Ethan stops the car. 'Where's the lake?' asks Ethan.
'It's five kilometres from here. But come and look at the
Natural Bridge. It's down there.'
They all get out of the car. There is a trail near the car.
Joe runs down the trail. Sarah, Ethan and Randall walk
down the trail.
'Come here!' says Joe. 'Come and see the Natural Bridge
from here.'
Joe is standing beside a fence and looking down at the
river. There is a bridge of rock across it. White water goes
under the bridge, between big rocks.
Sarah and Ethan go to Joe and stand beside him. They
look over the fence.
'There it is - the Natural Bridge,' says Sarah. 'Isn't it
beautiful?'
'Yes, darling, it is beautiful,' says Ethan.
Randall is standing on the trail. He doesn't go near the
fence.
'Come and look, Randall,' says Ethan.
'Come on, Randall,' says Sarah. 'Don't be scared. You
can't fall down from here. This fence stops people from
falling.'
'I'm not scared,' says Randall. He walks to the fence and
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k.
A.
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looks down. He closes his eyes and walks away from the
fence. His face is white.
Sarah walks over to him. He turns and walks up the
trail. Sarah goes with him. Joe and Ethan walk behind
Sarah and Randall. '
Randall hears a noise. He stops and says, 'What's that?'
'It's a grizzly bear!' says Joe. He smiles.
Randall's face goes white again.
'Joe!' says Sarah. 'It's not a grizzly bear, Randall. Look!
It's a Whiskey Jack.'
They see a grey bird in a tree. 'That Whiskey Jack made
the noise,' says Sarah. 'I like Whiskey Jacks. They eat food
from your hand.'
'Oh,' says Randall. 'What a beautiful bird! I like
Whiskey Jacks too.'
'Here's Emerald Lake!' says Sarah. 'Stop the car over there,
Ethan. We can put the canoes in the water there.'
They take the canoes off the car and put them beside
the water.
'Ethan, you can go with Joe in that canoe,' says Sarah.
'Randall, come with me in this canoe.'
'Canoeing is fun,' Sarah says to Randall. 'And we can go
fishing in the canoe. Watch me,' she says to Randall. 'And
don't stand up in the canoe. Okay?'
'Okay,' says Randall.
They all get into the canoes. Randall watches Sarah. She
moves her paddle in the water and he moves his paddle
too.
'That's it, Randall,' says Sarah. 'Now you're canoeing!'
'This is fun!' Randall says to Sarah. 'I like canoeing.'
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