BEARS!/Glacier Solo Dayhiking

[John Rowan]

I’m heading out in a few days for a trip with my dad that’s going to cover a bunch of parks, including Glacier (duh, it’s in the title). He’s going more for photography than hiking (and is being realistic about the mileage he can cover, especially in that terrain), and I’m focusing more on dayhiking, since this is more of a bonding trip than me crushing miles in the backcountry.

We have a decently sketched out plan that involves us doing a lot of shorter hikes together, but we’ve also got some days where we pick a point of mutual interest, and he goes off shooting for a few hours while I go hiking. We’re only there for a few days so most of the stuff that we have planned out is pretty stereotypical Glacier stuff (Highline Trail, Grinnell Glacier, etc.)

This being Glacier, I’m definitely a little worried about the wisdom of doing some of the solo dayhikes I have planned in light of the existence of grizzlies, which I’ve never really encountered before. In particular, one of my bigger days would have been taking the Highline Trail for a bit, going over Swiftcurrent Pass, then going back down to Swiftcurrent, where we’re staying. I also am at least toying around with doing some solo hikes in the Many Glacier area, which I know is a big Grizz area as well.

I’ll be carrying bear spray and am bear savvy enough to know the drill about making myself known to animals around me, but I’m also cognizant of the fact that my experience is with black bears and that I’m dealing with an entirely different animal here (no pun intended). Since I’m going to be on popular trails, I’m also going to make an effort to hike with/near a group.

After typing this out, I realize I’m not really sure what my question for the forum is, but any feedback on whether or not I’m doing something particularly foolhardy is always appreciated. I’m particularly keen on finding out if my Highline-Swiftcurrent hike is a bad idea to do solo, bear-wise.

 

 

[Gary Dunckel]

John, the bonding trip with your dad sounds great. Also, your choice of day-hiking the Many Glacier area trails is a good one. In my opinion, the  four trails out of Many Glacier are some of the very best in Glacier (Cracker Lake, Grinnell Glacier, Swiftcurrent Pass, and the Ptarmigan Pass/Iceberg Lake trails). But you should know that the area has more than its fair share of griz. There are lots of huckleberries on the hillsides around Many Glacier, and they are ripe about now. Also, the bears are frantic about loading up on calories, to get ready for the winter hibernation.

I have seen 3 different griz in that area. One was far away, on the side of a mountain scarfing down entire huckleberry bushes like a maniac.

A second was a curious young male that swam all the way across the lake to get to the Many Glacier Hotel boat launch dock. You know, to see what he could see. What happened was that the hotel security staff was well alerted (Park rangers watched it do the 45 minute swim), and the bear received 2 butt shots with rubber bullets when he got onto the dock. I was sitting on the knoll above the hotel, enjoying a post-hike beer and watching the mountains erode, when I heard the two very loud gun shots. A couple of seconds later I saw that bear running past the hotel to get to the forest. I didn’t know they could run that fast–30-35 mph, I would guess.

My third bear sighting was far less sedate. In 2011, I was hiking to Iceberg Lake, and I met a 550 pound grizzly in a brushy corridor, face-to-face about 25 yards away. I was heading up, and it was coming down on the same trail. I backed up, talked softly, and I got off the trail and climbed as far up as I could until a steep snow field blocked me. After a few minutes the bear sauntered by. When it got 100 yards past me, I decided it would be safe for me to get back to the trail and continue to Iceberg Lake. Just when I took my first step, out of the brush came the first of her 3 puppies. They were lagging far behind mom. They too past right by, and things seemed OK . That is, until one of the little cubs decided to come up and see what I was all about. Momma was intently watching us from 100 yards away. That was when I first got really scared, and I figured I was dead meat. I started screaming at the little guy to maybe run it off. It didn’t help much, as it kept coming toward me. Finally I heard mom give a subtle grunt, and cub immediately turned around and raced back to its siblings. After a couple more minutes, all the bears reunited with mom, and it was safe for me to continue my hike. She is my all-time favorite griz, and she is raising her cubs the right way.

In 2006, I hiked the Garden Wall trail from Logan Pass to see my high school buddy that was the camp host at the Granite Park chalet. I stayed there for 2 nights, and then hiked over Swiftcurrent Pass to my pre-positioned truck parked at the Swiftcurrent Lodge. Both nights while I stayed at the chalet we saw a griz and her lone cub cruise past as they were heading up toward the pass, presumedly to bed down for the night. My pal Neil said that he saw 1-3 bears passing by most every night. The thing about Swiftcurrent Pass you should know about is that the steep descent down toward the east involves a very narrow trail with some interesting switchbacks. It is a beautiful trail, but there’s no way to get out of the way in the event that a griz is coming the other way. I don’t know how often the bears cross that pass, but both sides are relatively well populated with griz. A good number of hikers do that route every year, and I’ve never heard of someone being mauled, so you’re likely going to be OK.

So I tend to write long posts. The real deal is to just take the usual precautions:

1. Always carry bear spray, and keep it ready for fast deployment.
2. Hike with a small group if you can, at least when you are walking through areas that don’t offer much visibility of what’s around you (like brushy trails), or when a bear can’t hear you coming (like along a noisy stream).
3. Make plenty of noise, to let a critter know that you are coming. I talk loudly to myself, and sing songs (poorly). I often bang my trekking poles together, too.
4. Make sure your dad carries his own can of pepper spray, and that he knows how to use it. Educate him on how to behave around bears.

It sounds like you are familiar with the drill, John. The only other thing I would mention, and this is disputed among various bear experts, is that if you meet a bear face to face, try not to look it directly in the eye. Some say this is a sign of aggression, which can agitate a bear that might otherwise just rather go on its way. I believe that this is true, because that’s what that momma griz did when we met up close and personal. She didn’t look directly at me, but she rather moved her head side to side, catching brief glances of me. She looked confused to me, but I later came to realize that she was trying to not show any aggression toward me–she just wanted to get past me.

Have some good fun in GNP with your dad, John. I was raised near there, and Glacier is my favorite place on the planet.

[John Rowan]

Thanks for the post (and the level of detail!). Reading first-person perspective on stuff like this is always super helpful.

[David Thomas]

Here’s BPL’s own Erin McKittrick and her husband completely nailing the right response to a grizzly in a very remote part of Alaska.  And the usual youtube comments from the stupidsphere.

This encounter ended perfectly but makes me think that in addition to bear spray you may wish to travel with a pair of clean underwear.

[John Klinepeter]

Another comforting bit of information regarding solo hiking in GNP during the summer is that you will see many other hikers on the trail.  You can likely stay close to a group or even join them with a little sweet talking :)

 

The trails have been busy this summer.  I have been tagging along with a volunteer ranger the last few summers.  One of the things we are asked to do is to count hikers.    The totals on day hikes of 8 to 13 miles this summer have been in the 200 to 550 range.  This is on visits to such places as Avalanche Lake, Grinnell Lake, Grinnell Glacier, Cracker Lake, Iceberg Lake.

 

I spent three days car camping/hiking in Many Glacier last weekend.   We saw four moose and one black bear which was completely undisturbed by the presence of people while hanging out about 75 feet from the trail.

[John Rowan]

That’s good to know about the hiker volume this year, especially since there are going to be times when we’re parted, and, much as I’d like to avoid being eaten, I’d also like to make sure that my dad doesn’t get eaten, either (I’m a good son like that), so it’s good to know he’ll have company if he’s hanging around at the trailheads while I wander.

This has been an interesting planning experience for me, since I’m trying to unlearn all of the attitudes towards bears that I’ve developed from dealing with black bears over the years. (I’ve had plenty of encounters in Shenandoah where I’m pretty sure I could have gotten away with petting one.)(I didn’t and I wouldn’t.)

[Clifford Deakyne]

John,

My family visited GNP in late Aug. many years ago.  We stayed at Many Glacier lodge and did 10 to 12 mile day hikes each day.  We saw grizzlies almost every day.  The pathway up to the many glacier area was closed for several days since several bears were feeding in the area.  On our last day the trails opened.  We hiked to Iceberg lake with a ranger led group.  About 10 min into the hike, a couple came running down the trail screaming grizzly.  It seems some photographers angered the bear to get a more interesting shot and the bear took off down the trail since it was the fastest path away from them.  It came around a bend and saw well over 100 people on the trail (which had just opened after almost a full week of being closed).  The bear took off straight up hill through briars etc to avoid the crowd.

There really is safety in numbers!  See if there is a ranger led group hike.  It will be too slow for you but very social.

At the entrance to the trail heading out of the parking lot for the many glacier area, there was several cans of bear spray left by folks who were flying home.  I guess I would not want to leave bear spray to chance however.

Enjoy GNP, it has become my favorite NP.

[Michael]

That video had my heart racing!

[Ralph Burgess]

Threads like this make me wonder if bear spray makes a significant negative contribution to safety.  I’m convinced that this is happening all the time:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk_compensation

The classic case of risk compensation was the introduction of mandatory bicycle helmets in Australia – where the data showed no reduction in injuries – because people wearing helmets, and car drivers sharing the road with cyclists wearing helmets, engaged in more risky behavior.

I have no experience at all with grizzlies, but the research that I’ve seen says that attacks on groups of 4 or more are almost unheard-of;   whereas bear spray is sometimes effective only if used calmly and optimally.

If bear spray didn’t exist (and setting aside firearms for now) what would the response be to   “I’m off into grizzly country alone, how about it guys”?    I tend to think it would be “Don’t do this, go in a group.”

It seems to me that the existence of bear spray, an unreliable safety measure, is essentially encouraging people to ignore more reliable safety measures and head off alone into grizzly country with a false sense of security.

 

 

[John Rowan]

With all due respect, I’m not really sure that “I’m off into grizzly country alone, how about it guys”?   is a particularly fair or productive characterization of my post.

In my actual post, I give a general note of the area I was considering entering, summarized my understanding of the bear-related risks (and asked for feedback on same if I needed correcting), explained my precautions (seeking out a group prior to leaving and, yes, carrying bear spray), and noted an understanding that it might ultimately be more appropriate to seek alternative activities during those days. Ultimately, the hikes I am considering comprise about 1.5 days of a 12-day trip across three national parks, which, this time, is primarily going to be focused more on frontcountry areas due to my companion. While I’d like to get to stretch my legs a bit, I think that my question as to whether or not doing so would be “foolhardy” certainly belies an understanding of the fact that I may indeed need to seek out activities that are more appropriate for a soloist/pair.

I think the point itself is certainly valid (SPOTs, and InReach often have similar negative impacts on backcountry decision-making), but I’m not really sure that the characterization of my post or the context in which it was made is particularly fair.

 

[Ralph Burgess]

John, I apologize, I should have been clearer – I wasn’t criticizing your specific post in particular, or your thoughtful and questioning approach to various safety factors.   My comment was a more general reaction to numerous posts/threads and in-person discussions I’ve seem and heard recently as I’ve considered how and when to venture into grizzly country myself.  “Carry bear spray” seems to be uppermost in many people’s minds, to the apparent exclusion of more important and effective safety considerations.

And I agree that we’re certainly seeing the same thing with SPOT & similar devices — I know that I’m guilty of risk compensation myself to some degree when carrying a SPOT.

[John Rowan]

Thanks Ralph- I think we are on the same page, as I’m more or less in agreement with your point and the broader point that “safety” devices can and often are being used in place of good decision-making. (This comes up quite a bit, as I am a SPOT user myself, although I only use it to give peace of mind to family members and don’t think of it as a “magic rescue” button).

This has been an interesting planning exercise for me in general, since I’m certainly conscious of the fact that I’m somewhat compromised in my decision-making by my wants (although not so much so that I’m going to ignore advice or common sense). I’ve gotten to the point where I’m reasonably comfortable with most geographical/environmental hazards that one would encounter in the Lower 48, but risks associated with potentially dangerous megafauna (sorry, love the word), are new to me.

[Aimee M]

This has been a great read.  I really appreciated the personal encounter stories, and the video.  I’m reading a book right now by Stephen Herrero regarding Grizzlies and his interpretations of his years of bear studies.  If you have time before you go, it is fascinating reading and might help you.  The posts here here have been spot on.  I grew up romping in the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness and have not ever had a face to face encounter with a griz– whether because I’ve been lucky, loud, had a dog, who knows.  I’ve seen one running away from my scent down in a tarn where it could smell me, but couldn’t see me as I stood above it (it appeared to be young).  It did not seem interested in the least to investigate, based on how fast it started running away.

 

However, knowing how to react is priceless, at least to sway the odds in one’s favor should you encounter one.  I think your plan is solid, I have hiked solo in the Cabs and even though I take my dog, I make plenty of noise (I yell and sing to the dog hee) and always carry bear spray right on my waist belt.  I think Glacier is so fantastic, I hope your trip goes well, and your planning sounds like about the best you can do, short of staying home.  And where is the life in that?

[Gary Dunckel]

I believe the book by Stephen Herrero, Bear Attacks-Their Causes and Avoidance, is the definitive treatise on grizzly behavior. He is based out of the University of Alberta, and he and his colleagues have done a great deal of research dealing with that bear. He discusses nearly every aspect of grizzly psychology and behavior, and the book is very readable.

Speaking of bear spray, Herrero mentioned that he and his buddies often carry TWO cans of spray each–one for on the way in to find the bears to study, and a second for on the way back out, in case they had to use up the first one. But of course they would be looking to get close to bears, not trying to avoid them.

Serious study of the grizzly was likely first done by the twin brothers, John and Frank Craighead of the University of Montana, who did their work in Yellowstone from 1959 to 1971. Frank died in 2001, and John just turned 100 on Aug 14. These brothers, and most of their children, did (and are still doing), serious research on all sorts of wildlife, not just the grizzly. That family has greatly expanded the knowledge base about critters big and small.

While most of the Craigheads’ work was written for scientific publication, Herrero’s book was meant to be a readable book for the masses. It’s a good one too, the very best I’ve found.

[John Rowan]

Quick secondary question for any Glacier locals/heavy frequenters- In checking the trail conditions/closures page, I noticed that quite a few trails were listed as “Posted” for “bear frequenting” (which appears to be separate from trails which were closed for the same reason). Can anybody tell me if these postings are simply indicative of the fact that the areas are generally frequented by bears, or if they mean that the areas have seen a higher than normal level of bear activity?

(In other words, I’m trying to figure out if the postings on the page are status quo, or if they mean that the bears have been more active than normal in those places.)

I’ll also chat up a ranger on the topic when we get to the park, but I’m assuming that I’m going to get an exceptionally conservative answer when I ask. (I should addd that this doesn’t at all mean that I’ll discount what I hear from them – the opposite is likely true – I’m just being conscious of the fact that NPS typically and very justifiably takes a very limited approach when answering these sorts of questions.)

Just curious to know. I have no real desire to wind up doing something stupid, no matter how nice the trails are.

[Author]

Posts