When it came to deterring an attack, this man had the bear necessities.
Footage captured the nail-biting moment when hikers came face-to-face with two giant brown bears on a path in Alaska. A video of the un-bear-ably tense encounter currently boasts 1.3 million views on TikTok.
“This bear had other ideas,” Alex McGregor wrote in the caption to the anxiety-inducing clip, which he filmed on March 10 as he and a fellow hiker named Laura were hiking along a path in Katmai National Park.
Their walk in the woods took a terrifying turn after they ran into not one but two Alaskan bears. These chonky creatures are among the largest bears in the world, standing up to 10 feet tall and weighing as much as 1,500 pounds.
In the POV clip, McGregor can be seen backing off the path into the woods as one of the behemoths advances toward him.
“It’s coming right at us,” the adventurer says, before advising his off-screen compatriot to “move down the trail.” McGregor points out that there are “two bears,” as he pans his camera to another similarly-sized bruin up further down the trail.
The two periodically shout “hey bear” at the critter, the National Park Service-recommended method of alerting bears to one’s presence in order to avoid surprising then
Things take a hairy turn after the cameraman retreats back onto the path, only to have the bear follow suit and plod closer to the path. At that point, McGregor yells at his companion to “get off the trail!” as Smokey draws ever closer.
McGregor retreats further and further into the woods on that side of the path, whereupon Baloo seems to lose interest and shambles back up the path toward its companion.
Naturally, it might seem counterintuitive to head deeper into the woods — the bear’s home — rather than stay on the human-trodden path when confronted by a bear. However, McGregor explained in the caption that the salmon eaters were using the trail “as a highway, cruising back and forth.”
“We were trained to get off the trail and give them the right away while making sure the bear knows we’re there so we don’t startle them,” he explained. “We’re very grateful to the bear school training that helped us keep calm and move out of his way.”
The TikTok commentariat was impressed with McGregor’s attack-deterring tactics. “Spent alot of time in griz country…. great job keeping calm and communicating with hiking partner,” said one impressed viewer.
“I have anxiety attacks in Costco and this man is over here calmly addressing 2 grizzly bears,” exclaimed another.
One commenter wrote, “Calm and slow and collected. Nice work.”
“Bear is like why you calling me and walking away?” joked one TikTok wit.
“That bear would have had a nice meal that day because I would have died of a heart attack on the spot,” commented another.
One cheeky viewer joked, “just run, you only have to outrun Laura!”
If one does encounter a bear in the wild, the NPS advises hikers to “move away slowly and sideways” and to refrain from running as the bruin will pursue “fleeing animals.”
“Stay calm” and “hold your ground” if a bear approaches or follows you, the Park Service adds. “Identify yourself by making noise so the bear knows you are a human and not a prey animal.”
Contrary to popular belief, going up a tree is inadvisable as both grizzlies and black bears are avid climbers.
Lastly, the National Park Service implores people facing a bear attack to “never to push a slower friend down even if you feel the friendship has run its course.”