A group of hikers in Montana came across a frightening sight: a grizzly bear. Considered an extremely dangerous animal, the hikers managed to escape their inevitable end. The bear, meanwhile, presented itself as a lovely creature, pulling the strings on the hikers’ hearts, figuratively speaking.
Elly, whose handle is hikewjesus, shared the grizzly bear encounter online. She is a hiker and Christian content creator who often posts her adventures with her followers. The clip attached above quickly became one of her biggest, garnering 546,300 views, 87,600 likes, and close to 600 comments.
The Montana woman was leading two other hikers at Glacier National Park in Polebridge. While walking on the trail, Elly came upon a grizzly bear. Footage from her body camera showed the big, dark brown bear being frighteningly close to the group.
Walking Away From A Spectacle
Slowly, the group began walking away from the bear. As hikers should on such occasions, they began talking, clapping, and even shouting, “Hey, bear!” at the bear. According to Elly, they were doing that during their whole hike, which explains why the bear wasn’t startled when they walked in front of it. Hikers don’t want the element of surprise when hiking close to such dangerous creatures.
The bear began following the group on the trail. Shortly after, the grizzly crossed the ridge and passed the group, which named him “Big Cheeks.” Big Cheeks walked away, but not before he stopped and lay on his back, completely enamouring the hikers. While he scratched his back with the leaves, he even showed his paw as if he was waving, which charmed Elly and her group.
“Oh my gosh, look at its paws,” Elly said. One of the other hikers yelled, “Hi, bear! I love you, Mr. Bear!“
Reactions
The video sparked multiple reactions, some from viewers who found the grizzly bear adorable. One said, “I really wish they were gentle giants and completely harmless because they are so cute. I wish I could hug.” Another one commented, “Oh, I love him (from this distance).”
Others insisted on the bear’s cuteness. One wrote, “That is why I’ll always choose the bear.” Another one added, “I’m glad that wasn’t me. I’d get eaten trying to boop his nose.” A third one agreed, saying, “Yes, because every animal, regardless of whether it has been domesticated or not, deserves a nose boop.”
Elly shared other advice regarding bear safety. In addition to hiking in a group and making noise, the Montana woman also recommended carrying bear spray, knowing the group you’re hiking with, and never running.
