Runner Faces Off With Bears on California Hiking Trail

A runner had a frightful encounter with a brown bear and two cubs on a narrow hiking trail in Sierra Madre, California, on November 8.

Video filmed by a California fitness enthusiast shows a brown bear charge toward her with two cubs. The bears then continue to follow her on the trail as she backs away while roaring in an attempt to scare away the trio.

“Went trail running and turned a blind corner to find a mother bear’s head about 5 inches from my waist and her cubs a few feet behind her,” said the source.

The recorder told Storyful the trail behind the bears split and both paths led down the mountain. Together with another hiker she encountered, they encouraged the bears to take one trail while they descended using the other. Credit: @_lauragold via Storyful

Video transcript

- Oh. Hell no. Rawr! Rawr! OK. All right. All right. All right. Got this.

[WHISTLING]

OK. There's nowhere to go. There's nowhere to go.

[WHISTLING]

Rawr! They won't leave you. They won't leave.

[WHISTLING]

OK. Whistles don't work. Oh, god.

[WHISTLING]

Rawr! There's-- there's bears. There's--

- I saw them.