The Magazine of The Sierra Club
Survive a Grizzly Bear Encounter
"You are in bear country," warned the trail map in Alberta, Canada's Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park. "Make plenty of noise when approaching blind corners or dense shrubs." That didn't stop me from biking through the mountains alone. I was lucky I didn't become grizzly chow."
I pedaled onto the Bow Trail. Hoping not to startle the forest's ursine residents, I picked an appropriate song to sing: Lyle Lovett's "Bears."
Singing almost helped me forget that on the previous day a nearby trail had been closed after hikers witnessed a 700-pound grizzly devouring a black bear.
After half an hour, I rolled around a blind corner and saw a bear about 100 feet down the trail. It must have been the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. It swung its head around to face me. Knowing better than to flee like prey, I jumped off my bike and hoisted it above my head.
The bear sighed. It looked at the forest, then back at me, and lumbered off into the woods. Once it seemed the bear was gone for good, I lowered my bike and rode back to the trailhead, through a beautiful field full of wildflowers.
Ask the Expert
John Paczkowski is an ecologist at Alberta Parks and a member of the Bear Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
"Most people get injured or attacked by a grizzly when it's a surprise close-range encounter. Distance was key here, and Jill was right to stop. Running away can prompt a chase response. Instead, stand your ground and speak to the bear in a low but firm voice. Lifting a bike could give the bear the idea that you're not prey, but you don't want to appear aggressive. Given the opportunity, grizzlies will usually leave the area."
