Bear swipes hiker in Glacier National Park
Whitefish Pilot | Whitefish Pilot | UPDATED 1 year AGO
A grizzly bear walks through a meadow of wildflowers in Glacier National Park. Photo was taken with a 400 mm lens. (Hungry Horse News file)
A 34-year-old female hiker was injured by a “brown-colored” bear near the Goat Haunt area of Glacier National Park on Wednesday, park officials said in a press release.
Two people were hiking westbound near Lake Janet at about 3:15 p.m. when a medium-sized brown colored bear with two cubs charged out of the brush.
The species could not be identified as a grizzly or brown-colored black bear.
The park said the entire encounter lasted fewer than 30 seconds. When the bear charged, the woman dove off the trail. The bear swiped at her, injuring her shoulder and arm. As this was happening, her hiking partner deployed bear spray, causing the bear to immediately run away.
The two then continued toward the Lake Janet Wilderness Campground where they found other hikers who had an InReach device, which they used to send an SOS to park dispatch.
The park stated that dispatch received the SOS at 3:42 p.m. Park staff and ALERT were dispatched. ALERT transported the woman, who was in stable condition, to Logan Health in Kalispell.
The park stated that no action will be taken against the bear at this time because the encounter was a surprise to a sow with two cubs that reacted defensively, and the area of the trail the hiking party was on is confined by the lake and dense brush.
The Lake Janet Wilderness Campground was temporarily closed and will reopen when deemed appropriate by park staff.
Earlier on Wednesday, a separate incident temporarily closed Going-to-the-Sun Road between Big Bend and Logan Pass for about 45 minutes around 12:30 p.m. The park has not released details on that incident.