A Skagway man was mauled by a brown bear on the Chilkoot Trail this week. It’s the second reported bear attack in the Upper Lynn Canal this month.
Details are still sketchy about what happened on a dark stretch of the Chilkoot Trail on Monday night.
“The entirety of the incident occurred within seconds,” said National Park Service ranger Jason Verhaege.
The hiker was about eight miles from Skagway when he accidentally startled a brown bear in his path.
“This was one of those lightning fast situations, which also is one of the determining factors where right now it is being currently treated as a defensive encounter. Because there was to out understanding, no posturing, no job popping, none of that behavior that would indicate a predatory response from the animal.”
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park has not released the name of the hiker. The man reportedly carried bear spray but didn’t have time to use it before the bear retreated.
Authorities wrote in a report that the local man was able to bind his wounds. He then found his way to a ranger’s cabin about a mile from the encounter. He used the cabin’s solar powered radio to call for help at around 2 a.m.
At dawn a chartered helicopter flew rangers and medics from the Skagway fire department to the cabin. They arrived at around 9 a.m. and were able to transport the wounded hiker to Dahl Memorial Clinic in Skagway.
That’s the extent of the information authorities are releasing about the attack.
“Currently, we understand that it was the lower right leg that was bitten. Can’t share any of the specific injury sustained,” said Verhaghe.
He says the National Park Service and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game will post bear warning signs at the trailhead. Rangers don’t patrol the Chilkoot Trail in the winter. The park service advises hikers and campers to carry bear spray, secure their food and, when possible, travel in groups. That and make some noise when hiking to avoid startling bears.
Verhaege says this bear encounter could have ended very badly.
“Clearly, the outdoor wilderness knowledge of this individual may very well have had played a part in keeping this person alive today,” he said.
The incident remains under investigation by the park service and fish and game. But at this time there are no plans to pursue the brown bear suspected in the attack.
Earlier this month a pair of local hunters in Haines encountered an aggressive brown bear along the Chilkat River. One of the men sustained serious injuries.
