logo
This grizzly followed a Calgary couple along a popular trail until they finally roared at it

This grizzly followed a Calgary couple along a popular trail until they finally roared at it

Yahoo21-07-2025
Howard Mah and Lori Arnason had never seen a wild grizzly until Saturday.
And if they ever see one again, they'll be sure to be carrying bear spray the next time.
The Calgary couple had set out for a short hike to Troll Falls in Alberta's Kananaskis Country on July 19 to celebrate their wedding anniversary — one they won't soon forget.
They expected the trail to be busy, as it often is, but were pleasantly surprised, at first, to find they had it pretty much all to themselves.
The solitude suddenly turned scary, however, after Mah sent Arnason ahead on the trail so he could take a photo of her.
"And as I was walking ahead, he said, 'Oh, Lori, no, stop," she recalled.
Mah had spotted a grizzly bear descending through a clearing, just behind his wife, toward the trail.
"And then as the bear walked down and hit the trail, I was hoping he would just continue on," he said.
"But he instead came onto the trail, saw us and then started walking toward us."
Grizzly followed, snorted, rose on hind legs
The frightened couple did their best to remain calm.
"We knew not to run," Mah said. "And so we just started backing up ... and then, because I was taking photos of Lori, I just happened to have my phone in my hand, so I just quickly switched it to video."
He captured more than a minute of video of the bear slowly pacing toward them as they retreated.
At one point in the footage, the bear rises on its hind legs, snorts and waves its front paws in the air as it accelerates briefly toward the couple, before resuming its plodding pace.
Mah said the animal made that "aggressive move" a few times during the encounter.
"To be honest, my life did actually flash before me," he said of how it felt, in the moment.
He estimates the bear came within about 15 metres of them as they continued to walk backwards, wondering if it would ever stop following them.
"When he didn't look like he was going to give up, that's when I thought, 'Well, I've heard to make yourself large,'" Mah said. "So I put up both my hands, made myself as large as possible, and just roared as long as I could."
"And so when Howard did that, then I stood beside Howard and did the same thing," Arnason said. "And it worked!"
The bear, they said, finally walked off the trail and left them alone.
They decided to cancel the rest of their hike to Troll Falls, returning immediately to the parking lot instead.
One of several recent encounters
The couple warned other would-be hikers in the parking lot about the grizzly, and then immediately reported the encounter to Alberta Parks and provided conservation officers with the video.
Alberta Parks issued a bear warning for Troll Falls, citing a "grizzly bear bluff charge."
It's one of several similar incidents in recent weeks.
A grizzly warning was also issued for the Bill Milne trail on July 8 due to a bluff charge.
And the popular Rawson Lake and Sarrail Ridge routes were closed on July 11 after a grizzly bear with cubs charged a group of hikers.
Bluff charges typically occur when a bear feels threatened or is caught by surprise, bear safety expert Kim Titchener told CBC News after those incidents.
"If you aren't making noise … the problem now is that bear thinks that you were trying to sneak up on them, and that means that they're going to feel threatened," she said.
Lessons for next time
Mah and Arnason said they realized, in retrospect, they were being too quiet on the trail.
"We were just enjoying nature and, yeah, we weren't talking a lot, or loudly," Arnason said.
The couple also said they wouldn't be caught without bear spray again.
They had figured the Troll Falls trail is usually so popular with hikers that the chances of a bear encounter were low, but realize now that's no reason not to come prepared.
They hope sharing their story will help others stay safe in bear country, and avoid similar encounters.
"To have it right on the path with you, and no one else around, and no way of defending yourself — you just feel so vulnerable," Arnason said.
"I thought we could die. I was just shaking afterwards."
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Ottawa makes good on promise to cut Confederation Bridge tolls, ferry fares in Eastern Canada
Ottawa makes good on promise to cut Confederation Bridge tolls, ferry fares in Eastern Canada

Yahoo

time4 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Ottawa makes good on promise to cut Confederation Bridge tolls, ferry fares in Eastern Canada

The federal government is slashing tolls on the Confederation Bridge and lowering ferry fares in Eastern Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced while in P.E.I. on Monday. "It's always a good day when you wake up on Prince Edward Island, and today is an especially good day. It's a big day," Carney said at the announcement on Prince Edward Island's South Shore, with the Confederation Bridge visible behind him. Effective Aug. 1, the cost of crossing the bridge, which connects P.E.I. with New Brunswick, will fall to $20 from $50.25. Transport trucks will also pay a flat rate of $20. There's no change in the cost for cyclists, pedestrians, shuttles or motorcycles. Fares for passengers, cars and commercial traffic on ferry services in Eastern Canada that are federally supported will go down by 50 per cent. Those ferries provide service between: Magdalen Islands, Que., and Souris, P.E.I. Wood Islands, P.E.I., and Caribou, N.S. Saint John, N.B., and Digby, N.S. "Today's announcement will mean more Canadians can see more of Atlantic Canada," Carney said. WATCH | Prime Minister Mark Carney on cuts to Confederation Bridge toll, key ferry fares in Eastern Canada: Fares for passengers and vehicles on the ferry that operates between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador are also going down. Ottawa has pledged to increase funding to the operator, Marine Atlantic, to lower the price by 50 per cent. Ottawa is also freezing commercial freight rates on that route. "The costs of the bridge and ferry don't just fall on tourists," Carney said. "If we are going to build a stronger, more united economy, and we are doing that, we are going to need to make it more affordable to travel around this country, for people and for businesses." WATCH | Islanders and tourists excited about reduced price to leave P.E.I.: For Rob Lantz, premier of P.E.I., Monday's announcement validated his months-long lobbying effort to reduce the fees. "I've been a real pest, a thorn in the side of everyone in Ottawa," he said. "We've been pushing for this forever. It's been 28 years that we've paid outrageous tolls on that bridge behind us and this is going to save Prince Edward Islanders tens of millions of dollars." The move will make life more affordable on P.E.I., he said "That bridge effectively acted as a tariff on everything we exported. And that is greatly, greatly reduced today." Rates will be frozen for several years According to Straight Crossing Bridge Ltd., the company that operates the Confederation Bridge, the $20 toll will apply to all passenger vehicles and transport trucks. Truckers will now be charged the flat rate instead of by the number of axles on their vehicle. The cost for cyclists, people walking or talking the shuttle, and riding a motorcycle will stay the same. There are seven years left in Straight Crossing's contract with Ottawa. Over that time, the federal government will cover the cost of keeping the toll at $20, said Heath MacDonald, MP for Malpeque and federal agriculture minister. Lowering the toll will cost taxpayers, he said, but the knock-on economic effects will outweigh that. WATCH | 'It's a good day': P.E.I. MP breaks down the deal to reduce bridge, ferry fees: "Ninety-five per cent of our products leave by transport. We have about a million cars and trucks coming across that bridge, for example, and ferry," MacDonald said. "That's extremely important... to small to medium-sized enterprises." Four years remain in Ottawa's contract with Northumberland Ferries Limited, the operator of the ferry service between P.E.I. and Nova Scotia. During that time, fares will be capped at 50 per cent of current rates, MacDonald said. The federal government estimates the entire deal will return about $100 million into Canadians' pockets each year — money they can then reinvest into the economy. When the contracts expire, prices will be back up for negotiation. 'An important decision for us' The importance of affordable travel is not lost on Joanne Thompson, the MP for the Newfoundland and Labrador riding of St. John's East and the federal fisheries minister. "We are reliant on Marine Atlantic as part of our connection with the Atlantic Canadian provinces and also the rest of Canada," Thompson said. More than 60 per cent of all goods transported to and from Newfoundland are handled by Marine Atlantic, the federal government said. It also transports about 90 per cent of all perishable items like fresh produce and propane for home heating. "This is an important decision for us on connectivity," Thompson said. "It's an important decision for our economy and it is important for our families." Minister of Transport and Internal Trade Chrystia Freeland echoed that statement and said the announcement brings measurable economic benefits during a "really challenging time for Canada." "If we work together, if we build one Canadian economy, if we build Canada strong we can give more to ourselves, we can do more for ourselves and each other than anyone can take away from us," Freeland said. This is Carney's first official visit to P.E.I. as prime minister since the federal election. The announcement makes good on his campaign pledge to reduce the Confederation Bridge tolls and cut ferry rates.

Toronto man, 26, wins $60M lottery jackpot
Toronto man, 26, wins $60M lottery jackpot

Yahoo

time4 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Toronto man, 26, wins $60M lottery jackpot

Bocheng Mei said his hands and feet grew numb when he realized he had won $60 million in the LOTTO 6/49 Gold Ball. The 26-year-old from Toronto, who works in the software industry, said he got a phone call from an unknown number — a representative from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG). Mei had missed an email informing him that he had won a prize, and the caller asked him to check his OLG account. "I'm talking to OLG people, but at the same time I'm googling the number, googling trying to find any information to verify if this is legit," he said in a video provided by OLG announcing his win from the May 7 draw. After Mei saw the win in his account, he said his first call was to his parents. "I said, 'now you guys never have to worry about money anymore. You can just retire now, you can enjoy the rest of your life,'" he said. He said his friends were jumping for joy when he told them the news. Mei said he plans to use the win to further his education and travel around the world — particularly to Antarctica, Finland and Iceland. "[I'd] love to see the Aurora Borealis and just everything that's new to me," he said.

Toronto man, 26, wins $60M lottery jackpot
Toronto man, 26, wins $60M lottery jackpot

Yahoo

time6 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Toronto man, 26, wins $60M lottery jackpot

Bocheng Mei said his hands and feet grew numb when he realized he had won $60 million in the LOTTO 6/49 Gold Ball. The 26-year-old from Toronto, who works in the software industry, said he got a phone call from an unknown number — a representative from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG). Mei had missed an email informing him that he had won a prize, and the caller asked him to check his OLG account. "I'm talking to OLG people, but at the same time I'm googling the number, googling trying to find any information to verify if this is legit," he said in a video provided by OLG announcing his win from the May 7 draw. After Mei saw the win in his account, he said his first call was to his parents. "I said, 'now you guys never have to worry about money anymore. You can just retire now, you can enjoy the rest of your life,'" he said. He said his friends were jumping for joy when he told them the news. Mei said he plans to use the win to further his education and travel around the world — particularly to Antarctica, Finland and Iceland. "[I'd] love to see the Aurora Borealis and just everything that's new to me," he said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store