Sections of the GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK are now closed in N.Carolina.
The article does not specifically say so, but presumably there is now a search for the bear in that area.
Campers appear to have done the right things, hung their packs, food, etc out of reach of the bears. Not sure if he was in a hammock tent or just a hammock. The campers were a father/son team, the son was yanked out of his hammock by the bear. They were in 2 different hammocks. Hammock tents are becoming more popular with campers/backpackers.
http://www.wlos.com/news/features/t...ed-after-bear-attack-21406.shtml#.VXTtehg8KrU
On a personal note my wife and I plan to be hiking in that general area in about 3 weeks. Might change our plans and divert to a different park area.
The article does not specifically say so, but presumably there is now a search for the bear in that area.
Campers appear to have done the right things, hung their packs, food, etc out of reach of the bears. Not sure if he was in a hammock tent or just a hammock. The campers were a father/son team, the son was yanked out of his hammock by the bear. They were in 2 different hammocks. Hammock tents are becoming more popular with campers/backpackers.
http://www.wlos.com/news/features/t...ed-after-bear-attack-21406.shtml#.VXTtehg8KrU
GRAHAM COUNTY, N.C. --Several trails have been closed today in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park after a bear attack.
The trails are closed in the Hazel Creek section of the park.
Park officials say last night at about 10:30 p.m. a 16-year-old male from Ohio was pulled from his hammock by a bear. The incident happened at campsite 84 approximately four and a half miles from the Fontana Lake shoreline.
According to officials, the victim's father was able to drive the bear away from the campsite. The victim and his father hiked to the lakeshore and were transported to a boat dock by campers. Graham County emergency service workers took the victim to a landing zone and he was flown to Mission Hospital in Asheville at 3 a.m. this morning.
The young man is in stable condition after sustaining multiple injuries including laceration to his head.
Hazel Creek Trail, Jenkins Ridge Trail, Bone Valley Trail, Cold Spring Gap Trail and campsites 82 through 88 are closed.
“While incidents with bears are rare, we ask park visitors to take necessary precautions while hiking in bear country and comply with all backcountry closures,” said Superintendent Cassius Cash. “The safety of our visitors is our number one priority.”
The father and son were on a multi-day backpacking trip in the Smokies. Both campers were sleeping in hammocks approximately 10 feet apart and had all equipment, food, and packs properly stored on aerial food storage cables.
For more information on what to do if you encounter a bear while hiking, please visit the park website at <http://www.nps.gov/grsm/naturescience/black-bears.htm>. To report a bear incident, please call 865-436-1230.