Living at 11,053 feet on the summit of Mammoth Mountain comes with its share of solitude—and the occasional curveball. Vince Valencia, the longtime caretaker of the mountain’s gondola station, has spent the past 20 years calling this windswept perch home. But earlier this week, he had a houseguest he didn’t expect: a black bear named Boo Boo.
Late Tuesday night, Valencia woke up to the unmistakable sounds of an uninvited visitor. When he went to investigate, he found Boo Boo prowling inside the summit building, likely lured in by the scent of food. In all his two decades living up top, Valencia had never seen a bear breach the building itself. That streak is officially over.
Valencia took to his instagram account, @talkinghead1, where he posted several photos of the bear’s late-night incursion. The images show Boo Boo 'calmly' exploring the building as if he were just another through hiker on the PCT.
While black bears are nothing new to residents of the Mammoth Lakes area (and mountain towns everywhere), one breaking into the summit station is unprecedented. Valencia, who’s weathered blizzards, lightning storms, and just about everything else Mother Nature can throw at 11,000 feet, might now have to add bear-proofing to his routine. "Now every night I'm going to need to secure the building......AWESOME!!!"
Whether Boo Boo makes a return trip remains to be seen. But one thing’s certain: the summit of Mammoth just got a little less quiet—and a lot more interesting.
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Amber Brion
May 29th, 2025
Vince Valencia’s years of solitude, storms, and summit stewardship suddenly sound like something out of a Jack London story with a splash of Yogi Bear thrown in. Boo Boo’s unexpected visit is not only an incredible anecdote but also a vivid reminder of how close the boundary between the human and wild worlds can be—especially in places like Mammoth Mountain. Tour operator marketing software