Wow!  Those synapses are firing and dots are connecting, and Mark, despite all the blows to his head over the course of this story arc, puts all the pieces together!! Not very believably, mind you, but at some point we had to wrap this saga…

Do you love the face in panel two, or what??  The look of a man who realizes his entire life has led him to…. THIS MOMENT.  A mountaintop moment on the forest floor!!  Face to face with a BEAR!  Now, any experienced guide will tell you that Bear are not to be challenged, can run faster and climb better than you, and while Mark is an experienced woodsman, he ought to know better- go get the gun… fire a warning shot, scare the bear off.  C’mon Mark don’t be an idiot, not in your moment of revelation!