{"id":82399,"date":"2025-07-22T05:43:16","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T05:43:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/82399\/"},"modified":"2025-07-22T05:43:16","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T05:43:16","slug":"calgary-couple-survives-frightening-encounter-with-grizzly-bear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/82399\/","title":{"rendered":"Calgary couple survives \u2018frightening\u2019 encounter with grizzly bear"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Saturday seemed like the perfect day to celebrate 11 years of marriage for Howard Mah and Lori Arnason.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/70c8fc80.png\" alt=\"\" style=\"position:absolute;width:1px;height:1px\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI said to Howard, \u2018what should we do today?\u201d Arnason recalls. \u201cWe thought, \u2018let\u2019s go out to the mountains.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Calgary couple travelled to Kananaskis.<\/p>\n<p>Surprised by the lack of hikers on the usually-bustling <a href=\"https:\/\/www.albertaparks.ca\/parks\/kananaskis\/kananaskis-country\/advisories-public-safety\/trail-reports\/kananaskis-valley\/troll-falls\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Troll Falls<\/a> trail, the couple enjoyed the serenity.<\/p>\n<p>Mah was just about to take a picture of his wife when they were greeted by one of the locals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m walking ahead and then he said \u2018No Lori\u2026 Stop! Come back,\u201d Arnason said.<\/p>\n<p>Just up the trail from Arnason was a grizzly bear.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn some respects, it\u2019s kind of like \u2018Wow,&#8217;\u201d Mah said. \u201cNeither of us had seen a grizzly in real life before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n<p>The pair slowly backed away from the bear, which ventured onto the trail towards them for roughly 10 minutes \u2014 a stretch of time that felt much longer.<\/p>\n<p>With his phone still out, Mah captured a heart-stopping video of the bear following them back down the path.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think somehow we thought it would just follow us for a little bit and get bored with us,\u201d Arnason remarked.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"c-blockquote l-article__blockquote\">\n<p class=\"c-blockquote__content l-article__blockquoteContent\">\u201cBut it continued to follow us\u2026 so we quickened our pace a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"170\" height=\"225\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/national.jpg\" alt=\"For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tGet breaking National news<\/p>\n<p>For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.<\/p>\n<p>Mah and Arnason say the bear finally went on its way once they made themselves large and started roaring at it.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-video__image\" alt=\"Click to play video: 'Bear Days looks to educate Albertans bear awareness'\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/WEB_BEAR_DAY_INTERVIEW_TUES_APRIL_8.thumb.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\"   data-\/><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t4:31<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBear Days looks to educate Albertans bear awareness\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>Wildlife expert John Clarke says the wet weather in southern Alberta this year has changed wildlife patterns \u2014 something hikers should note.<\/p>\n<p>Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo far with the amount of moisture we\u2019re getting, that\u2019s perfect for berry growth. With the ripening of these berries, you\u2019re going to see the bears cruising 24\/7 looking for that food source,\u201d the owner of <a href=\"https:\/\/canadianbearsafetyauthority.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Canadian Bear Safety Authority<\/a> said after watching Mah\u2019s video.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn this case, the bear was on a mission to go somewhere, using the same trail \u2026 they just bumped in to each other. If it was a bluff charge, there would have been a lot more happening \u2014 I think the bear was more curious and standing up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\tTrending Now\n\t<\/p>\n<ul class=\"l-inlineStories__posts c-posts c-posts--inline \">\n<li class=\"c-posts__item\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/11296450\/donald-trump-tariffs-mark-carney-us-senators\/\" class=\"c-posts__inner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-posts__thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/CP174782453-e1753129312697.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"336\" height=\"224\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\u2018We miss you,\u2019 U.S. senators tell Canada as Lutnick vows tariffs will stay\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-posts__item\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/11296876\/malcolm-jamal-warner-dead-cosby\/\" class=\"c-posts__inner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-posts__thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/malcolm-jamal-warner.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"336\" height=\"224\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\tMalcolm-Jamal Warner, \u2018Cosby Show\u2019 star, dead at 54\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"c-blockquote l-article__blockquote\">\n<p class=\"c-blockquote__content l-article__blockquoteContent\">\u201cThis is a predator.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Mah and Arnason were quick to admit they didn\u2019t have bear spray \u2014 a mistake they say they won\u2019t make again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were basically not prepared for hiking in bear country,\u201d Mah said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost people know that you should be talking loudly (if you encounter a bear), and we did know that \u2014 I don\u2019t know why we weren\u2019t,\u201d Arnason said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you see something like this, go talk to a Fish and Wildlife Officer or a Conservation Officer,\u201d Clarke said.<\/p>\n<p>Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"c-blockquote l-article__blockquote\">\n<p class=\"c-blockquote__content l-article__blockquoteContent\">\u201cIf you\u2019re going to spend time in the wilderness, carry bear spray with you \u2026 take some courses and know how to use it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Clarke adds bears aren\u2019t the only wildlife you should be aware of on the trails \u2014 the area is also frequented by cougars and moose, among other predatory species.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTake 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The couple made it back home safe and sound \u2014 and warned other hikers at the bottom of the trail.<\/p>\n<p>Alberta Parks has issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.albertaparks.ca\/parks\/kananaskis\/evan-thomas-pra\/advisories\/?type=Bear-Warning&amp;name=Troll-Falls&amp;p=2025-07-19#17903\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bear warning<\/a> for the trail in light of the incident.<\/p>\n<p>For Mah and Arnason, the encounter only resulted in an uncommon story \u2014 and a lesson learned from an experience that could have ended much worse.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was really frightening,\u201d Arnason said.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\tMore on Calgary<br \/>\n\t\t\tMore videos\n\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t&amp;copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Saturday seemed like the perfect day to celebrate 11 years of marriage for Howard Mah and Lori Arnason.&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":82400,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[56236,2147,56235,56237,50],"class_list":{"0":"post-82399","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-bear-encounter","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-grizzly-bear","11":"tag-kananaskis-country","12":"tag-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114895297320492603","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82399"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82399\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}