Mind grabbing me a beer while you're up, bear?
Drew Hamilton, who works in tech at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, shot this video at the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary in Alaska. Brown bears gather in the park from June to August, where they fill up on salmon and sometimes hang out with bros with video cameras and nerves of steel.
The bear gets within cuddling distance, but he seems less interested in Drew than in admiring the scenery. Birds chirp in the background; it's a beautiful day. You could almost forget that one swipe of that bear's paw would make it way harder to enjoy this splendid example of the "don't do this at home" genre of YouTube video.
The scariest/awesomest part is at the end, when the bear takes off, and the camera pans to reveal that there are dozens of bears in the river below.
(by Shira Rachel Danan)