18 Jawdropping Confessions From A Man Who Survived A Grizzly Bear Attack
If you've ever had a close call with a wild animal, you know that it's a very singular kind of terrifying experience. Recently on Reddit, a man who survived a grizzly bear attack answered people's questions about what happened to him, and it's one of the most chilling things I've ever read.
He wrote, "Almost three years ago, I survived a grizzly bear while mountain climbing. I was climbing alone on a mountain in Northern Montana. On my descent, a grizzly bear tried to attack me, and I threw myself down the cliff side. Climbed down the mountain and survived the Montana wilderness for around eight hours before getting out. Got a TBI [traumatic brain injury], tore a few things, broke a few things, and got some deep cuts. AMA [ask me anything] about it."
He also shared a couple of photos from the hike where it all went down:
u/low-accountant4731 / Via reddit.com
Here are some of the most interesting questions and answers from his AMA:
Questions and answers have been lightly edited for clarity.
1.Q: Why were you hiking solo out there?
A: It was my goal to do this mountain alone. While for a lot of people, this can seem incredibly stupid, it meant a lot to me. There is nothing that challenges your mental and physical state more than trying to summit a mountain alone. There is no one else around to question what I am doing or motivate me. It is just me and the mountain. It is a freeing feeling that is like no other.
2.Q: Did you experience an overwhelming sense that you were going to die? What went through your head during the incident?
A: I am going to give a longer answer than what you would probably expect for this one. It's really strange. That entire summer was spent hiking and climbing in the northern Rockies, mostly in Montana. The best days of my life. Throughout the entire summer everyone that I climbed and hiked with, I always reiterated the same message. I would look at them and say something like, "We are so lucky, and we should be so appreciative that we can do these things. Life is so amazing. Some people will never get to experience this cause their bodies won't let them. Our bodies one day might change and we will never get to do this again. So let's just remember how so incredibly lucky we are, and we should be so grateful."
I said this always with a good heart. My mother, when I was young, introduced me to climbing, hiking, and the outdoors. When I was in high school, she got sick from cancer and eventually passed away. But I remember the bitter years of seeing my lively mother become stuck at home dying in bed. I told myself I was always going to be thankful for every healthy second I get on this earth.
But when I said this to people, part of me deep down inside knew my body was going to change or that I was going to lose the ability to do these things. I know that may just sound crazy. But that's just what went through my brain. However, I never thought I was going to die. I just knew something was going to happen at the end of the summer.
During the incident, there was a split second where I thought, "Is this where I die? I am going to die right now." But something just pushed me forward, maybe it was adrenaline, but I just had this overwhelming urge to make it out. It was just sheer will. During the incident, over the hours, my mental state was incredibly drained, though. Every bird I heard, every squirrel, every noise in the forest or on the mountain was another bear. I may have only encountered one, but my brain saw a million.
3.Q: In that moment when you thought you were not going to make it, did you come to peace about it? What did that moment in time feel like? Also, did you feel any anger towards the bear?
A: Everything was happening so fast at first that I didn't really have time to think too much about it. I thought I was going to die, told myself I was going to get out, and kept fighting. I will say over the hours of trying to get out of the wilderness, my mental state definitely deteriorated. I was in fear panic survive mode. Every noise I heard I thought was going to jump out and kill me.
More recently, after my injury, I wasn't sure how to feel. I blocked so much of it out that It was hard to have any sort of feeling about it. Which was not healthy. I now have a wide range of emotions about it depending on the day, but I never was directly mad at the bear. I was in its territory. It sucks, but it's just an animal.
4.Q: Fellow Montanan here. I had several grizzly encounters this summer, all of which ended as they typically do, some careful decision-making and an eventual parting of paths with the animal. I’m curious: when did you realize your encounter escalated? Did the bear sneak up on you, or did you surprise encounter each other?
A: Surprise each other. It's hard to explain, but we kind of came around a rock, and both scared each other. I have run into them before, and it was never like this one. Once it didn't leave me alone, that was an escalation above the rest of my encounters already. Then, once it went for me, that's when I knew that it was no longer just a scary encounter. It did not want me there, or it was scared, or maybe it's possible that it was bluff charging. But on a narrow rock side I just couldn't really react like get my bear spray. So that's when I just started falling down cause that really was the only thing I could do.
5.Q: Did the grizzly bear try to chase after you?
A: Yes. It got up on its back legs, standing on this rock. We were both incredibly still for what was probably two seconds, but it felt like an eternity. We made direct eye contact. Then it went for me. That's when I went down the cliff side. Really I had no where else to go. So I tried to sort of just slide down; that was the best I could think of in a split second.
6.Q: How do you think the bear got to where it was?
A: It's hard to explain; I wish I had pictures of it. Maybe one day I'll go back and get those. Bears are exceptionally good climbers and can scale up rocks pretty easily. The best way I can describe it is that the rock sort of sticks out of the mountain horizontally a bit. This bear was standing on another rock with its top paws on another rock. I think it was climbing up the side.
7.Q: How far was the fall when you jumped off the side of the cliff?
A: I don't remember. It was all incredibly quick. It wasn't straight down but incredibly steep. My brain injury occurred during that first fall. I guess I wasn't really sure what my plan was or what I was thinking but I tried to almost cushion myself down the cliff. I went feet first and tried to use my hands to sort of keep upright. But I fell back quickly, and my head smashed against a rock. Sorry if that isn't clear. There is still a lot I am trying to work out about that day.
8.Q: What do you think the outcome would've been if you hadn’t dropped down the cliff?
A: I actually try not to think about that. Who knows.
9.Q: How did you make it out so injured?
A: Honestly, I am really unsure. I used to always say I am not one for religion, actually despised it, but maybe God. I had so much adrenaline that not only was I not really thinking about anything, I was not really feeling pain. At least not how I typically do. My entire body felt numb, and my heart was beating in my ears. After I slid down the cliff side, I was incredibly off my route down. I had to climb and maneuver my way down the mountainside. After that, I found the nearest hiking trail and started walking back to the trailhead. My head hurt so incredibly bad, but I just kept going. After hours in the forest, I actually ran into a group of hikers that were travel nurses.
10.Q: What was the reaction of the first person to encounter you after your attack?
A: The very first people I told were some other people on the trail. They were shocked, but considering that they were travel nurses, they were quick to help. Also, this area is known for bears. After that, the first person I told was my ex-girlfriend, and the first reaction was disbelief.
11.Q: Do you carry bear mace?
A: I always carry bear mace. I did on this climb as well; it was a really quick interaction that turned south. I have been on mountains with grizzlies nearby, and while always a little nerve-racking, they always left me and my party alone. My reaction time just wasn't quick enough as it wasn't in my hand immediately.
12.Q: Did you consider revisiting and eventually backtracking the whole ordeal?
A: All the time. One day when I am ready.
13.Q: What do you do for work now? And do you still hike?
A: Right now, I am an intern at a National Park. For a moment, I worked with animals at a science center. I am hoping to earn my degree in Natural Resources and Wildlife. I used to go to a really elite university for a year but had to drop out after my injury. I also had a really negative experience there anyway. So I never went back and just started doing online university. I still hike sometimes. I really want to get back into hiking and climbing.
14.Q: Has talk therapy been helpful in your recovery? What in particular made it useful for you?
A: Talk therapy has been helpful in some aspects. It is hard to rewire how my brain thinks, particularly with negative thoughts. I got caught asking myself a lot of what-ifs. It has made accepting some parts of it easier, and I don't ask myself a lot of the what-if questions anymore. Like, what if I did this instead? What if I didn't climb that day? Stuff like that.
15.Q: If you don't mind me asking, what does your TBI consist of? How has it affected your life since the incident?
A: My life is definitely not the same. I have made some great progress, but the evolution of my injury is quite significant. Today my daily issues are extreme headaches/migraines, TMJ issues, brain fog, confusion occasionally, memory loss, and some vision changes. But anxiety is definitely the worst. It is incredibly hard to explain to people, but my brain had to completely rewire itself and make sense of everything again. For me, sensations all felt really strange, like it was the first time I ever felt things before. Initially, the first six months after the injury I had severe amnesia, I would have episodes of extreme confusion and anxiety. Like I wouldn't really understand who I was, and I would be terrified for no reason. My speech also suffered. I had trouble cognitively, behaviorally, and mentally. Just a really hard time. I still struggle, but I have made some big improvements.
16.Q: Are you on any medications from the fall? What do you do for the TBI? Feel better.
A: Lots of different medications for pain management and mental disorders mostly. Also been doing injections in my neck and back. Different therapies. Mostly, time heals this sort of thing, so practicing patience.
17.Q: My greatest irrational fear is a grizzly bear attack. Have you ever listened to the Tooth and Claw podcast?
A: No, I have not listened to it. I have tried my best to stay away from bear media in general. Although, I did see some TikTok that changed my perspective on the whole situation. I saw this TikTok about some bear at a zoo, I think in Houston, that paces around. Apparently, it had a really tough life and paced to cope. I found when I was having flashbacks or hard moments, I would pace around and not really even think about it, trying to cope. Made me realize we aren't so different.
18.Q: What would you say to the women that prefer to meet a bear in the woods rather than a man alone since you actually met one?
A: I am not sure. I suppose statistically, bears harm fewer people than other humans.
Have you ever had a scary experience with a wild animal? Tell us what happened in the comments.
