Shalee Super, a travel blogger from Cody, Wyoming, originally from Mecosta County, Michigan, faced a terrifying encounter with a grizzly bear while backpacking near Assiniboine Lake in Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park in B.C. on August 21st.
Camping overnight with her partner, who left at sunrise to climb Mount Assiniboine, Super was alone packing up when she heard heavy steps and saw the shadow of a grizzly’s claw on her tent. Peeking out, she found herself nose-to-nose with the bear.
She reacted quickly and blasted the grizzly with bear spray. The grizzly temporarily vacated the area before returning with another bear nearby. Super fled shoeless across a freezing talus field and she watched from a distance as the bears tore apart her tent.
After about an hour, she salvaged what she could and hiked 4.8 miles back to the trailhead. Despite losing most of her gear, Super was unharmed and held no grudge against the bears, describing them as likely curious young siblings. She acknowledged being a guest in their habitat and expressed a desire to avoid such close encounters in the future.
Shalee Super:
Full story of how I walked away after ending up nose to nose with a grizzly bear –
On August 21st we headed out to Assiniboine Lake for a short trip. I was anxious about leaving the cats in the camper overnight but wanted to get out in a quick 14-hour backpacking trip.
Josh’s objective was Mount Assiniboine in Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, so we agreed that he would leave for the climb at sunrise and I would head back to the trailhead, a short 4.8 miles away from the lake where we camped.
Living around Yellowstone, spending the night in thick grizzly country was nothing new to us. We’ve spent the equivalent to months in the backcountry sharing territory with them. I have a profound respect for the wilds of the mountains, and I still would rather take my chances alone in the wilderness than alone as a woman in a city.
Josh left around sunrise and my plan was to leave by 8. I decided to hang around a little longer than planned. It was a beautiful morning, and the sun was just about to hit the lake. I knew bears were more active in the dawn hours. The cats would be fine and it was probably smarter for me to wait the extra hour before heading into the woods. I was hoping the sunshine would dry out the condensation collected on the tent overnight before packing up and heading out.
I heard nothing all morning besides the trickles of a nearby stream. Sitting in the tent getting ready to go outside for a bathroom break, I suddenly heard a large step outside. Instantly, I knew. I quickly took the safety off the bear spray and sat in silence for a few seconds, hoping I was wrong. But then, in the most horror movie way, the shadow of a grizzly claw appeared on the side of the tent.
Finger on the trigger of the spray i peeked outside the already unzipped tent and there it was, closer than I expected. Actually, there were two. One right there and another about 25 feet behind. Nose to nose with it I pulled the trigger before i really had time to think.
It was enough to scare him back and for me to exit the tent. It didn’t deter him much, though, and he was already walking back in my direction. At that point, i had noticed that he seemed more interested in the tent than me (woo!). I looked around to see where I thought they were least likely to go, and a giant talus field above the lake caught my eye. Shoeless in the freezing temps i made my way across the marsh and up the sharp talus field where i sat on a larger rock roughly 100m up and watched him tear apart the tent.
I watched them for roughly an hour, until they were high enough on a nearby slope for me to feel comfortable heading back to the remains of camp.
The only thing outside my bear bag was the chocolate peanut butter sandwich i was getting ready to eat for breakfast, still in its bag, which went untouched and I ate later. The two bears were big but not full grown, and i truly believe they were young adult siblings that were curious and being rowdy teens. Only the one had any interest in me or the tent.
My Hyperlite Mountain Gear backpack survived with only one claw puncture, so i quickly shoved the shredded pieces of camp into it. My shoes were wet but fine, which is what i was most worried about because my feet were freezing and painful after climbing the sharp rock field in socks. The rainfly wouldn’t fit in my hurried packing, so it was dragged the 5 miles back to the trailhead.
I decided to go back instead of wait for Josh’s return (he was hours away at this point on a very technical climb). I decided I would rather risk the hike back than be a sitting duck in a territory i was just nearly attacked in. So i boogied back to the trailhead as fast possible blasting Cruel Summer by T.S. for both sound and hype.
No ill will toward the bear. I am well aware that I was the outlier in his home, the unfamiliar weed in his garden. Bear vs man debate? Still bear, every time. Although i would like to *never* see one even remotely close again.
Related: Grizzly Bear Shrugs Off Multiple Bear Spray Blasts To The Face
