Tag: hikers

Watch: Mountain lion goes on the attack in front of hikers

A mountain lion on the trail stopped a group of hikers in its tracks in a unique encounter at Big Bend National Park in Texas.

A mountain lion on the trail stopped a group of hikers in its tracks at Big Bend National Park in Texas, but there wasn’t a hint of panic, even as the cougar readied to pounce.

Instead, Robert Turner started videotaping and the hikers continued their conversation, not bothering to lower their voices, as some commenters thought they should.

Seems that was okay with the mountain lion, though, as it appeared to be using the human voices to cover its presence from its prey.

“This is so cool, man,” Turner says in the video. “I’m not taking my eyes off this guy. He wants nothing to do with us…He’s getting ready to pounce.”

Seconds later, the cougar did pounce, and you can hear the result. It didn’t end well for the nearby deer.

The unique encounter occurred March 26 on the Pinnacles Trail between Juniper Flats and the Boulder Meadows campsites.

Some commenters on YouTube thought the hikers ought to have been quiet, thinking their noise was going to mess up the cougar’s hunt.

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“I’m surprised that the mountain lion was able to catch its prey with all the conversation taking place,” one wrote.

“He was very polite,” Turner wrote. “Thanked us afterwards for providing the distraction.”

 

Another commenter wrote that he had captured the hunt on video, as well. The Scenic Route has slow-motion action of the attack; you can find it at about the 16-minute mark.

Photos courtesy of Robert Turner.

Grizzly bear runs straight at hikers, who react in the worst way

A grizzly bear was heading directly for a group of unsuspecting hikers, who clearly were clueless on dealing with bear encounters, as video shows.

A grizzly bear on a trail in Glacier National Park on Sunday was heading directly for a small group of unsuspecting hikers, who clearly were clueless about how to deal with bear encounters in the wild.

Another group of hikers on a switchback above those ill-informed hikers saw what was transpiring and began warning them about the approaching bear and shouted “get off the trail,” and then the grizzly started running.

Once the grizzly started running, the shouts of warning became louder and more urgent. You can hear someone in the distance yelling to “back up, back up,” and a woman nearby says, “They shouldn’t run” before yelling to them, “Don’t run, don’t run!”

So what did they do? Dulé Krivdich, who sent the video to NBC Montana, picks up the story he told the station:

“Just then, the griz made a bluff charge and we saw people booking it like we’ve never ever seen before in our lives. But I think that it was a case of the bear not knowing the people were coming up, [and] the people had no idea. But once they did, [they] did the worse [sic] thing, they ran!”

grizzly bear encounter

Fortunately, after the bluff charge, the grizzly continued on its way, disinterested in the running hikers.

“Thank goodness that it all went well afterwards,” Krivdich told NBC Montana.

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Ironically, that same day, Glacier National Park posted on Facebook this warning to hikers:

“If you’re hitting the trails, there are a few other considerations to keep in mind. If you can’t see the trail ahead of you, it’s important to make your presence known by making human sounds like shouting or clapping loudly. Additionally, hiking in a group allows bears to see, hear, and smell you better, reducing your risk of a surprise encounter. If you do happen to see a bear on the trail, ensure you maintain at least 100 yards of distance and slowly back away from it. Carrying bear spray (and knowing how to use it!) is recommended on all trails in the park. You never know when you may see a bear!”

At least they did one thing correctly: hiking in a group.

Photo of generic grizzly bear courtesy of the National Park Service.

 

 

 

WATCH: Grand Canyon picture proves hikers don’t take warnings seriously

The Grand Canyon National Park Service shared a striking picture of visitors sliding down an icy trail Monday, using it as a clear example of what not to do.

With Thanksgiving Week bringing the holiday season in at full speed, travel advisories and warnings are being sent out across the country.

The Grand Canyon National Park Service shared a striking picture of visitors sliding down an icy trail Monday, using it as a clear example of what not to do.

“The top part of Grand Canyon trails are icy! Don’t risk it – like these folks.,” the tweet read, reminding hikers to wear traction on their shoes and take trekking poles on November hikes.

One day after the warning, the National Weather Service put the Canyon under a winter storm warning, prompting one entrance to the park to close in anticipation of 8 to 21 inches of snow.

Grand Canyon Twitter picture proves hikers don’t take national park heights, warnings seriously

The Grand Canyon National Park Service shared a striking picture of visitors sliding down an icy trail Monday, using it as a clear example of what not to do.

The Grand Canyon National Park Service shared a striking picture of visitors sliding down an icy trail Monday, using it as a clear example of what not to do.

Hikers take risk Grand Canyon officials warn against

Three imprudent and ill-equipped hikers were the perfect example for a warning issued by officials at Grand Canyon National Park.

Three imprudent and ill-equipped hikers were the perfect example for a warning issued by officials at Grand Canyon National Park to bring “shoe traction devices and trekking poles” because the top part of the trails are icy.

“Don’t risk it—like these folks,” the warning said in the tweet.

The warning came a day before the park’s announcement Tuesday that the National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the area effective from Thursday afternoon through Friday night for elevations above 4,500 feet.

On the South Rim, the East Entrance Station and Desert View Drive, known as East Rim Drive, will close at 7 pm (MST) on Wednesday and remain closed until further notice, the park said.

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The forecast calls for 8 to 12 inches at the South Rim and 15 to 21 inches on the North Rim, which is closed annually to vehicle traffic from Dec. 1 to May 15.

The warning tweet that included the photo of hikers, one in shorts and tennis shoes, descending an icy trail, prompted a barrage of replies, as one might expect.

“Those people are not smart.”

“Shouts to the guy in shorts and…running shoes?”

“That just looks like a verrrry bad choice.”

“They will probably need [rescuing]…going down…but tell me how the heck they are getting back up?”

“Darwin Award nominees!”

Photo courtesy of Grand Canyon National Park.

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