Serious topic but so many jokes can be made . . . why did her partner not get attacked by the bear, because he tripped her before running? Do women still believe they are safer with a bear than a man?
Short version of the story: Mama bear with 2 cubs. Hikers are too close, occurred on a trail with heavy cover. Bears and hikers were both surprised by encounter. Mama swipes at the female hiker. Claw marks and injuries for the female hiker but she survived. Male hiker deploys bear spray. Encounter ends with bear running away. Satellite communicator was used to get help.
Short version of the story: Mama bear with 2 cubs. Hikers are too close, occurred on a trail with heavy cover. Bears and hikers were both surprised by encounter. Mama swipes at the female hiker. Claw marks and injuries for the female hiker but she survived. Male hiker deploys bear spray. Encounter ends with bear running away. Satellite communicator was used to get help.
Hiker Injured in Glacier National Park Bear Encounter - Flathead Beacon
A female hiker was injured by a bear near Lake Janet on Wednesday afternoon, marking the first reported injury due to a bear encounter in Glacier National Park this year. The injured 34-year-old was hiking westbound with a partner when a medium brown-colored sow emerged from the brush and...
flatheadbeacon.com
A female hiker was injured by a bear near Lake Janet on Wednesday afternoon, marking the first reported injury due to a bear encounter in Glacier National Park this year.
The injured 34-year-old was hiking westbound with a partner when a medium brown-colored sow emerged from the brush and charged her, Glacier National Park officials said. The bear, accompanied by two cubs, swiped at the woman, injuring her shoulder and arm.
The bear ran away after the woman’s hiking partner deployed bear spray. The full encounter lasted less than 30 seconds, according to park officials.
The pair continued to the Lake Janet Wilderness Campground, where they met other hikers with an InReach satellite communication device and sent an SOS to park dispatch.
Park staff and an ALERT air ambulance team located the hiker in stable condition. ALERT transported her to Logan Health in Kalispell for treatment.
Park officials said that no action will be taken against the bear at this time. They explained that the encounter occurred on a trail confined by the lake and dense brush, and that the bear reacted defensively to a surprise. Her species could not be confirmed or identified.
Officials also issued a reminder that bears are most active during the fall and encouraged visitors to review the park’s bear safety webpage.
“The fall season is when bears are more likely to be active due to hyperphagia,” Park officials wrote. “As bears prepare for the long winter, during which they will hibernate, they need to eat as much as they can to prepare to go months without food.”
The Lake Janet Wilderness Campground has been temporarily closed in response to the incident and will reopen when park staff deem it appropriate. Information about the closure can be found on the park’s trail status webpage.
STORY CONTINUES AT LINK ABOVE ^^^