Grizzly bites jogger in Glacier

Glacier National Park officials report that a jogger was injured Sunday morning, June 7, in an encounter with a grizzly bear while running on a backcountry trail on the Park's west side.

Thomas Nerison, 60, of Kalispell reported that he had been bitten by a grizzly bear at about 9:45 a.m., while he was running on the Lake McDonald Valley Trail in Lake McDonald Valley.

Nerison told an investigating ranger that he was trail running northeast on the Lake McDonald Valley Trail about one to one-and-a- half miles from the Avalanche Lake trailhead when he heard what he described as the sound of a dog barking and then galloping horses coming up the trail behind him. He indicated that he was not making any noise on the trail and he did not have bear spray with him. Nerison said he had just enough time to turn around and get off the trail about a foot when he saw what he estimated to be two 250-pound grizzly bears running toward him.

Nerison said he believed the bears were running from something that had startled them and that one of the bears stopped in close proximity to him. He reported to rangers that he kicked the bear and then fell down. He said that when he fell down, the bear bit him twice as he continued to kick. Nerison said he used sticks to poke at the bear, the bear lost interest in him, moved back toward the way it had come and then went uphill and away from the trail. He stated that he then walked downhill and cross country to the Going-to-the-Sun Road where he got a ride from a visitor back to his own car at the Avalanche trailhead. He then drove himself to the Kalispell Regional Medical Center's Emergency Room for medical treatment.

During an interview after the incident, Nerison told a ranger that he normally carries bear spray; however, he did not have bear spray with him when he encountered the bears.

Sunday afternoon, rangers closed the trail between the junction with the Avalanche Trail and the Johns Lake Trail, per the Park's bear management policies. Park rangers are investigating the incident and based on their findings, in accordance with Glacier's Bear Management Guidelines, Park managers will determine what, if any, further actions will be taken.

The Park is seeking information from anyone who may have been on the McDonald Valley Trail on Sunday between 9 and 10 a.m. Please contact park headquarters at (406) 888-7801 if you were on the trail or might have seen bears or dogs in the area between Johns Lake Trailhead and Avalanche Trailhead.