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Teenage Boy 'Freezes' as Bear Gets Too Close for Comfort at Mount Rainier

A group of hikers at Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, considered themselves very lucky to have survived a precarious encounter with a bear as it appeared on their hiking trail and approached a teenage member of their group.

Jasmine Bartley and her family had just started a hike through the national park when the incident took place. Lisa Keswick, who recorded the video of the encounter, was visiting the national park from the United Kingdom and accompanied the Bartley family on the hike.

According to local reports, they had been hiking for no longer than 20 minutes when Bartley heard a gasp from someone behind her and turned around to find a bear approaching her brother.

“I couldn’t even breathe. I was terrified,” Bartley added. The video shows Bartley’s brother remaining as still as possible as the bear seemed to smell him for a moment before continuing on its way.

Keswick shared the video with Bartley, who posted it on a Facebook page to encourage other people to be constantly aware of their surroundings while in nature. Credit: Lisa Keswick via Storyful