Owyhigh Lakes,  Mt Rainier National Park,  August 8, 2008     page 8 / 11

As we continued along the trail we passed several trees missing the lower five or six feet of their bark. It was apparent that the wood underneath had been scratched by bear in the area. The trees all seemed to be free of insects, so it appeared that the bear simply did this as a way of marking their territory, or perhaps to sharpen their claws.