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Lesson learned with bear

Editor: Re: ‘Tourists bluff charged by bear’ (Aug. 2) RMO . I‘m the guy who actually had this bear encounter and it made me sound like one of those stubborn tourists who don’t follow recommendations and are not aware of nature and its wildlife.

Editor:

Re: ‘Tourists bluff charged by bear’ (Aug. 2) RMO.

I‘m the guy who actually had this bear encounter and it made me sound like one of those stubborn tourists who don’t follow recommendations and are not aware of nature and its wildlife.

I joined up on this hike with a girl who was traveling on her own as well. We were hiking Cory Pass Trail and I descended Edith Pass trail on my own pace, which was the reason for being ahead of her.

After reaching the junction for Cory Pass and Edith Pass Trail the trees thin out and one can see Highway 1 and the fence which prevents wildlife from accessing the road.

About 500+ metres to the trailhead, I suddenly heard something shuffling through the bushes. I froze and a moment later I could see a big brown hindquarters. I left the trail and backed off up the hill into the opposite direction toward a tree as silently as possible.

The moment I stood beside the tree I heard the bear dashing through the bushes towards me. I stood my ground and started speaking kindly to him, which probably made him stop right in front of the trail with his eyes focused on me. He didn’t roar or make any other noise whatsoever. It was definitely a grizzly bear, as I have also told the authorities.

Furthermore, as far as I could see, he hasn’t been tagged yet. When I continued talking to him he slowly lowered his head and eventually moved his eyes to the ground, letting me know that he had lost interest. I slowly backed off another couple of metres up the hill and when the bear felt it was sufficient, he slowly turned around and shuffled off back into the woods. A moment before he was gone, my travel mate came around the trail bend and merely saw his back vanishing into the bushes.

We retreated cautiously to the trailhead, which was also the direction the bear had come from and instantly called the competent authorities. It should be mentioned that the distance between the highway fence and the trail at the scene of this event was about 60 metres, which makes the avoidance of an encounter fairly tricky. Especially since I didn’t expect a grizzly to be so close to the parking lot which was filled with families and hiking groups.

I’m aware of the fact that by walking all by myself I put my life at risk since I’d underestimated the chances of meeting a bear that close to the trailhead. It is still bear country rather than human country.

But I highly doubt that I could have used bear spray in the seconds I had from discovering the bear until it stood three meters in front of me. We were both caught by surprise. This guy wasn’t the first grizzly I had seen in the park, but by far the biggest.

Nonetheless, what I definitely learned from that experience is that carrying bear bells, although its tinkle might be annoying sometimes, might have prevented the encounter. Therefore, I recommend everybody, especially if you are traveling and hiking by yourself, to purchase one of these to minimize the risk of running into a grizzly unexpectedly.

Marco Gahlbeck, Germany

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