Saturday seemed like the perfect day to celebrate 11 years of marriage for Howard Mah and Lori Arnason.
“I said to Howard, ‘what should we do today?” Arnason recalls. “We thought, ‘let’s go out to the mountains.”
The Calgary couple travelled to Kananaskis.
Surprised by the lack of hikers on the usually-bustling Troll Falls trail, the couple enjoyed the serenity.
Mah was just about to take a picture of his wife when they were greeted by one of the locals.
“I’m walking ahead and then he said ‘No Lori… Stop! Come back,” Arnason said.
Just up the trail from Arnason was a grizzly bear.
“In some respects, it’s kind of like ‘Wow,’” Mah said. “Neither of us had seen a grizzly in real life before.”
The pair slowly backed away from the bear, which ventured onto the trail towards them for roughly 10 minutes — a stretch of time that felt much longer.
With his phone still out, Mah captured a heart-stopping video of the bear following them back down the path.
“I think somehow we thought it would just follow us for a little bit and get bored with us,” Arnason remarked.
“But it continued to follow us… so we quickened our pace a little bit.”
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Mah and Arnason say the bear finally went on its way once they made themselves large and started roaring at it.
Wildlife expert John Clarke says the wet weather in southern Alberta this year has changed wildlife patterns — something hikers should note.
“So far with the amount of moisture we’re getting, that’s perfect for berry growth. With the ripening of these berries, you’re going to see the bears cruising 24/7 looking for that food source,” the owner of Canadian Bear Safety Authority said after watching Mah’s video.
“In this case, the bear was on a mission to go somewhere, using the same trail … they just bumped in to each other. If it was a bluff charge, there would have been a lot more happening — I think the bear was more curious and standing up.”
Clarke says the couple did the right thing by backing away slowly, but says no one should use their phone during an encounter like this.
“This is a predator.”
Mah and Arnason were quick to admit they didn’t have bear spray — a mistake they say they won’t make again.
“We were basically not prepared for hiking in bear country,” Mah said.
“Most people know that you should be talking loudly (if you encounter a bear), and we did know that — I don’t know why we weren’t,” Arnason said.
“When you see something like this, go talk to a Fish and Wildlife Officer or a Conservation Officer,” Clarke said.
“If you’re going to spend time in the wilderness, carry bear spray with you … take some courses and know how to use it.”
Clarke adds bears aren’t the only wildlife you should be aware of on the trails — the area is also frequented by cougars and moose, among other predatory species.
“Take five minutes. Stop, look and listen. If you hear a squirrel yipping, they always chatter if they see something walk by them. If you see a deer run away for no reason, maybe something is chasing them.”
The couple made it back home safe and sound — and warned other hikers at the bottom of the trail.
Alberta Parks has issued a bear warning for the trail in light of the incident.
For Mah and Arnason, the encounter only resulted in an uncommon story — and a lesson learned from an experience that could have ended much worse.
“That was really frightening,” Arnason said.
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