No real reason to be afraid of one unless it's absolutely desperate for food
True, and this is generally correct for most animals out there. They want nothing to do with humans, will be driven away all by themselves by the sounds and smells of human camps, and won't attack unless frenzied or provoked (such as by invading their personal space or triggering their pursuit or fight-or-flight reflexes). When I was going on solo hikes in the mountains, my biggest concern was wolves rather than bears. If you see those up close, there's a very high chance that they don't mind showing themselves because 1) they already consider you a potential prey, so convincing them otherwise will take a lot more effort, 2) they already have you surrounded because they typically hunt in packs. But still, the chance of any big animal deliberately attacking you while you're minding your business is extremely low. Much more likely to accidentally step on a venomous snake in tall grass, or try swatting a curious spider on reflex, or have a centipede making home in your shoes, or just be bitten by a disease-carrying tick. The small ones are a real menace.