Bear encounter at campsite – 3 day backpacking trip fail! (Great Smoky Mountains)
My 3 day backpacking trip in the Smoky Mountains didn’t quite go as planned. 😂
I was meant to hike the first day with friends and the other two days solo, but the first night after we set up at our campsite, a young black bear approached us not once but three separate times (even though we yelled and threw rocks at him).
I’m not one to let a bear scare me away and last night I was ready to stay and defend my chosen camping spot but my friends were not as enthusiastic about staying. I considered camping there alone or hiking to my next campsite, but since several other campsites in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park were closed due to bears, it seemed the safest thing to do under the circumstances was head home.
Fingers crossed the weather holds out and I can retry this hike again soon, but in the meantime, I filmed a little of this one day adventure and even got some bear footage!
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New subscriber. Love the videos.
he was small guy possible people feed him..
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Am going up in a few weeks planning on some of your same routes to Gregory bald saw last year 93 was closed wondering if 13 has activity. Maybe not in the cards to do this. I think you were smart to avoid possible problems during the night Nice video though
Tip, try to stop and eat on the way to or from camp in bear country and hang your bear bag before you get all the way to camp. Don't cook or eat near your tents.
This was a very enjoyable video. I love the Smokies!!! It sucks you had to leave your camp, but those bears are getting quite active. Great job.
Glad y’all decided to leave and be safe. Hopefully you will be able to do it again when the bears are not so active.
Not a fail. You demonstrated what to do when it kept coming back. That's a reality that many would not see, so you all were a great example without panicking. Get out (or possibly get hurt during the night). The sun will shine another day for you guys. Take care.
Bear intruding into camp is absolutely a fun experience, as long as he does not get aggressive 🤣
Sad you had to end the trip early but very happy you wisely chose to leave. For your safety and for the bear. Hiking back out beats having a hungry juvenile tear up your gear in the middle of a dark night trying to find a snack.
A figure 4 followed by a suplex would have taken care of it. Oh wait that's how we handle pops when he gets grumpy!
Was just there a few weeks ago and noticed sites closed and was wondering how bad the situation was…… really glad our group avoided this type of situation
That sucks but you didn’t get eaten so I’d say that’s a win. People don’t respect wildlife enough.
I would love to hike the Smokies, but I stay in Pisgah. I usually just decide at the last minute that its a good weekend for a hike so I would never have a reservation. Sorry that bear ruined your trip, but cool video.
Oh man! But nice videos of the bear!
Beautiful ♥️ adventure 🦋☘️🌞 nice 👍 hike 😃 enjoying fr jamaica 😎🌅🏖️
Glad everyone stayed safe. Don't know where momma bear is at any given time. Little bugger!!
Maybe don't eat at camp next time
gosh!
Thank your for sharing and glad you, your friends and the bear are all safe. Better to retreat then eaten by a bear.
Excellent example of how to act during a bear encounter at camp. Everyone kept calm and stood their ground. I noted one of your friends picking up their food bag. Also when load noise wasn't working you all start to throw sticks and rocks at the bear. This should have sent him on his way but he kept returning. Hopefully you report the encounter to the park services so they can evaluate the bears behavior and relocate him if necessary.
hopefully people have not been feeding him because that only becomes a death sentence for the bear.
As beautiful as the Smokies are, I really don't like camping there due to the bears. No fear of humans + acclimation to human food = bad bear behavior. I'm going to try and push through the park in 4 days on my thru next year.
It got a little close it looked like on the video before the other lady seen it. Need to be on bear watch tight turns like in The Westerns
Wise choice, there's always another day to hike and at least you had still had some daylight.
Ahhh, good to see you girls hiking. Get a air/marine horn, they will fit in your belt pocket of back pack. It's so loud , the bears hate it. Worked on AT and BSF, especially in middle of night.
Not a fail. Wisdom prevailed. Loved the video of the real experiences you encounter.
were u practicing food disipline? u know they can smell almost anything