Alaskan Hiker Walks Backwards to Keep an Eye on the Mama Bear and Cubs Following Him

While walking along a picturesque trail in Katmai National Park in southern Alaska, an alert and rather concerned hiker named Geoffrey Glassner noticed that a big grizzly bear with her two cubs at her side started follow him. Keeping his wits about him, the hiker wisely turned around and began walking backwards so as to keep an eye on their progress. Luckily, the bears didn’t get too close to Glassner, although he did express a bit of frustration in the time it took them to part ways at the water’s edge.

I’m walking backwards on the trail back to the camp. I’m walking on the trail with mom and two Cubs so I am continuing to walk backwards the mom and the Cubs keep following me and are walking at least as fast as I am. …What I don’t want to do is as I’m walking backwards is stumble, so I will keep walking backwards …come on guys give me a break. Cubs just keep coming. Oh come on.

Just two days after that incident, Glassner was able to shoo a different bear from his path.