Family finds trackway near Bear Valley witnessed in Alpine County, California

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My family and I were driving in a remote area of the Sierra Nevada mountains last Tuesday looking for a place to ride our sleds. The sites we were seeking were few and far between as the area had no significant snowfall in over 3 weeks. We were above the 7,000' altitude marker along Hwy 4 and it was a mild, sunny day. The ground was covered in snow. We had exited Hwy. 4 at the snow-play area west of Bear Valley and proceeded along the road to Spicer Reservoir despite patches of shallow snow still in the road. We were driving slowly along the road and, approximately 1 mile from Hwy 4, we noticed deep impressions in the snow along the right hand shoulder. We stopped to examine these 'prints', although I am hesitant to use this term as no details - like toes - were present. These had obviously been here quite some time and had melted and frozen several times. They were large and deep, measuring 16" long. What impressed me the most was that these prints were in a straight line. I recall...