Rob Fox
A hiker out for a stroll in nature in Alaska got way more nature than he asked for when a surprise encounter with a family of bears turned into being trailed by a grizzly bear and its two curious — and relentless — cubs.
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A Grizzly Bear Makes for a Terrible Hiking Companion
Geoffrey Glassner was out on a beautiful day hiking in Alaska’s in Katmai National Park, which is known for its population of grizzly bears, when he met one of the park’s main attractions as well as its two kids. What ensued was Glassner walking slowly and quietly backward for what must have felt like an eternity while avoiding eye contact with the cubs and the mother bear so as to avoid becoming a meal.
At one point the cubs start running toward Glassner and you can hear him say, “Aw come on guys” with a sort of chilling resignation. He doesn’t even sound like he thinks he’s going to make it out of this. He’s pretty much just waiting for a mama bear charge and doesn’t seem to have any bear spray, pepper spray, or any other type of weapon to defend himself.
And, despite the fact that the mother bear looks like it was a thousand-pound grizzly, Glassner is well aware that turning his back and trying to run is pretty much a death sentence.
Bear Attacks in Bear Country? Ya Don’t Say
Fortunately for Glassner, his grizzly sighting did not end in a bear attack. Eventually the bear family disappeared into the treeline and went on to take a drink from a nearby hidden lake.
One of the reasons Glassner escaped is because he knew the sort of bear he was dealing with. Grizzly bears aren’t afraid of people. Why would they be? Look at them. So in this particular bear encounter making a lot of noise, for example, wouldn’t have done anything other than maybe piss it off or make it curious about how the noisy hairless monkey tastes. Black bears, which are far more timid, are the sort of bear you scare off with noise. Not grizzlies.
Keep that in mind if you ever find yourself face to face with one of these killing machines in Yellowstone National Park or Glacier National Park.
