Victoria Pham (@pham.victoria) had an extremely close encounter with a black bear while hiking on the Mt. Wilson Trail just outside of Los Angeles.
She explains in the description below that she couldn’t turn and run or move off the trail due to the surrounding landscape. So, instead, she stood her ground and hoped for the best as the bear walked right by.
Here’s what she said, followed by the video:
“This is a Black Bear (in California) and they are generally easily scared off. I used to work in Yosemite National Park where I’ve gone through bear training and worked in Search & Rescue, so I’m quite familiar with bear behavior and body language. I do recognize that it is a BEAR and can do serious damage. I was already on trail where I wouldn’t be able to outrun the bear going down hill or engage the bear to go back up the trail since there were hikers ahead. Know that if I was in Montana or anywhere else in the world, I most definitely would NOT be standing there letting it pass.”
https://www.instagram.com/reel/ChBhnbNpMiR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Black bear or not I would have been crapping my pants if this had happened to me, so kudos to her for being brave and staying calm!