Romantic Getaway Ends after Hikers Flee from a Bear

There are many of us who have been able to retell dates that have gone badly; however for one couple they may be able to top most stories after their encounter with a fully grown black bear while the two of them were hiking in the Mission Mountains.

Luckily they managed to get away from the bear after running 40 minutes towards their car, out of breath, half blind and shoeless, only to realize that their car keys were inside the backpack that they had dropped when they initially began the chase back to their car.

Once again though the Gods seemed to be with them as their car had keyless entry.

When the couple stopped and decided on a place to camp for the night they turned around and noticed the black bear on all fours ambling up the trail 10 feet away. Pulling out the bear spray and yelling at the bear the bear started to turn away from one of the hikers to the other. While one made a phone call to alert those where they were, the second hiker waited until the bear was close enough before employing the spray canister, and then fleeing from the scene.

Unfortunately, the bear became angry and subsequently followed the pair and managed to push them 20 yards off the trail towards the river. One of the hikers then stopped, which made the bear stop and stare. After a number of seconds the bear began to walk towards the pair, and once again the hiker with the bear spray waited until the bear was close enough before utilizing the canister a second time.

Rushing towards the river, the pair climbed down a four foot ledge and slid into the water, under the impression that the bear wouldn’t follow them. So with water up to their knees and a fast current to tackle, the two hikers managed to make it to the other side safely.

The bear, on the other hand, wasn’t about to give up that easily. After climbing out on to a tree branch and jumping three feet into the water the bear made it across the river and began gaining on the two fleeing hikers.

The reason why the bear followed them may have been because the berries that are a favorite with bears bloomed late, and the bear was hungry.

While these two may be able to laugh about the incident now that ultimately brought them closer together, at the time it was no laughing matter. At one stage while they were crossing the river back, one hiker lost her footing and was sprayed in the face as she held onto her companion’s fingers that were also holding the bear spray.

With adrenaline pumping and the black bear no more than five feet away the self defense spray was employed again, which finally saw the bear turn and flee away.

After seeing the bear flee they turned their attention to finding the trail again, but it was no easy feat with one hiker suffering from the effects of the spray, as they stumbled over branches, fell into holes, and worried about the presence of the bear lurking nearby.

But, after 30 minutes of searching, losing shoes, being hit in the face with low branches, falling and stumbling into holes, they came upon the trail once again, before falling into their waiting vehicle with its keyless entry.