A pair of hikers got the scare of a lifetime while trekking through Glacier National Park over Memorial Day weekend when they found themselves face-to-face with not one, but two charging grizzly bears.
The terrifying encounter was captured on video and later shared on Instagram by hiker Mason Van Zeeland, who was exploring the Montana park with Alyssa Olsen when the pair crossed paths with the bears.
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According to ABC News, other hikers had warned them that grizzlies had been spotted on the trail. Even so, nothing could have prepared them for what happened next.
One bear ran past the hikers before a second stopped nearby.
“I was kind of like, joking, and then the bear growled and I was like, ‘Oh no, this ain’t happy times anymore,'” Olsen said.
The video shows just how quickly the situation escalated.
“We’re going to die. We’re actually gonna die. Holy heck!” Olsen can be heard saying as the bears move through the area.
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At first, the hikers thought they might simply be able to wait out the encounter.
“We decided after a few minutes to keep going and just stay ready and I guess, being optimistic isn’t always the best,” Van Zeeland said.
That plan changed when one of the grizzlies turned its attention toward them. That’s when Van Zeeland deployed the bear spray.
“It definitely looked at us and then that’s when I let out a little spray, and it turned the other way and ran off into the woods by the lake,” he said.
The hikers later speculated that the bears may have been siblings. Thankfully, both bears and both humans were unharmed.
But their close call serves as another reminder that Glacier National Park remains very much grizzly country.
The National Park Service recommends hikers stay at least 100 yards away from bears whenever possible, carry bear spray, avoid running during encounters and slowly back away if a bear is nearby.
The incident comes less than a month after a hiker was found dead in Glacier National Park following what authorities described as a suspected bear attack.
Search-and-rescue crews discovered the hiker’s body approximately 2.5 miles up the Mt. Brown Trail on May 7. Authorities said the victim was found “approximately 50 feet off the trail in a densely wooded area with downed timber.”
The incident marked Glacier National Park’s first deadly bear attack since 1998.
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For Olsen and Van Zeeland, their encounter ended with a story they’ll never forget — and a strong reminder for all of us that carrying bear spray in grizzly country isn’t optional.
It may be the only reason they’re around to tell the tale.
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