Grizzly bear looking our way before entering pond.
Bruno the grizzly bear after crossing river.
Grizzly bear looking at us as it approaches pond.

Recently in Grand Teton National Park, my brother and I were involved in an adrenaline-filled, once-in-a-lifetime grizzly bear encounter.

It began when we spotted a large grizzly bear, which we were later told looked like a famous boar named Bruno, plodding toward us from a willow patch 150 yards away.

We were astonished at how briskly and purposefully the bear walked, and somewhat reassured by a spacious pond between us and the bear.

We watched the bear’s advance from a raised spit of land below the Jackson Lake Dam, perhaps 200 yards from our vehicle. Behind us was the Snake River.

We knew we had to escape the bear’s path, but didn’t run for fear of triggering an attack.

RELATED: 'Miracle' grizzly bear cub reappears (again) in Grand Teton National Park; photos

It was just me and my brother, Scott, at first. We maintained eye contact with the bear while walking slowly to our left, toward the parking lot.

I snapped a few still photos before the bear entered the pond, then used my cellphone to hopefully document a portion of the crossing. (Video posted above.)

At this moment the bear, still watching us, veered slightly to its left, making clear its intention to go around us to cross the spit toward the Snake River. (We had walked onto the spit on a hunch, hoping to spot wildlife, and had heard of bears crossing the river in the same area.)

As the bear was still in the pond a photographer, who had spotted him from the parking lot as the bear emerged from the willows, hurried to join us on the spit.

The bear climbed onto the spit south of us and proceeded directly to the Snake River. Any trepidation we might have experienced was gone, and we joyfully watched the bear dog-paddle masterfully across the swift-flowing river. (Video posted below.)

The current carried the hulking bear farther south, and when he emerged on the opposite bank he looked smaller with his wet fur matted against his skin.

Moments later, the grizzly vanished into the forest, following his internal compass to a destination known only to him.

As for the three of us, we walked back to the parking lot with a lifetime memory of an encounter with a famously elusive and virile bear – if, in fact, this was Bruno – that's believed to have sired at least 19 cubs in and near Grand Teton National Park.

–Author's note: Still images were captured from a distance and cropped. Apologies for the shaky footage.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Video shows grizzly bear swimming toward tourists in Grand Teton National Park

Reporting by Pete Thomas, For The Win / For The Win

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect