How do park visitors react when they see a bear in the wild? The answers are all over the proverbial map, depending on the specific situation. Last summer, a visitor used a cell phone camera to record an encounter with a bruin by a group of hikers on a trail near Logan Pass, in Glacier National Park. The short video offers some interesting insights in human, and bear, behavior.
There's been an enormous amount of information about bear safety published and distributed via seemingly every possible means by the National Park Service and other organizations, including these tips from Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park.
Tips for bear safety differ somewhat for animals which are spotted along a roadside or on a trail, but in both cases, a key point (too often ignored) is to simply maintain a safe distance, and avoid approaching the animal in the quest for a photo. "Keep a safe distance" also requires action by the human if the bear is moving toward the person. At Yellowstone, park regulations require visitors to stay at least 100 yards (the length of a football field) from bears.
In the case of a bear encounter along a trail, if the bear is aware of the hiker's presence but still some distance away, the person is normally advised to back away slowly, and give the bear as much space as possible.
How did the hikers fare in the short video shown below when they spotted a bear—and the bear apparently spotted the hikers? The visitor taking the photos was standing along the Going-to-the Sun Road near Logan Pass in Glacier National Park; you can hear her comments, and those of her husband and children, in the audio track with her video.
The hikers in this encounter were a relatively short distance off the road, heading into the backcountry, apparently near the start of the Highline Trail.
So, how would you grade the hikers' actions in this situation, and based on the audio, how "bear-savvy" were the people taking the video?
You can view the video, which runs just under three minutes, below.
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Comments
It would be interesting to know what the hikers were saying as the bear got closer and closer, but based on what we can hear on the audio, even the child along the roadside had a better grasp of the situation that some of the hikers.
What did the hikers do that was wrong? They were well up the trail. Turning around would have actually put them closer to the bear. Had it been me, I'd have been keeping a wary eye on the big fella while holding my bear spray at the ready -- safety switch under my thumb for quick use if needed. I'd have been noting wind direction and which way I'd need to point the spray without having it blow back on me. This was case in which there would have been enough time to develop a plan if worse became worst.
In the meantime I'd also be figuring out which of my companions I'd need to be able to outrun.
Agreed, Lee. One of the local trails that we short hike on all the time - one of the most popular and used trails locally - has had bear scat and grizzly sightings on it every few days lately. Bad salmon run has unfortunately created a fairly habituated grizzly.
When my wife and I hiked there a couple of times this week, I told her to carry a cell phone and keep me between her and the bear [I'm not much of a runner these days]. She snorted and told me to stop trying to be so damn noble.
Good comments above. My vote would be for the group to do what they did - keeping moving slowing up the trail away from the bear - but as the child suggested, not wait so long to do so.