Kelsey is a wife and mother who gained a following for her TikTok account @adventurebabyp. Kelsey and her husband are avid hikers, never missing an opportunity to hike a new adventure, bringing their baby along the way. On a recent hike on a trail near Glacier National Park’s Bowman Lake their adventure took a terrifying turn: The family came face-to-face with an enormous black bear. While the baby was none the wise, the experience gave Kelsey quite a fright.
Hikers know the risk they run when going on remote trails. It is not entirely uncommon to come across bears in certain regions; however, it is somewhat uncommon to see these animals around trafficked trails since they usually try to steer clear. So, when the couple came face-to-face with one of these animals they were terrified, not only for themselves, but for their baby that was with them.
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Kelsey happened to be wearing a GoPro which captured the scene. In her TikTok video on the encounter, she explained that her family was hiking along and didn’t notice the bear until they were far too close for comfort. In her GoPro video, you can clearly see the bear staring curiously at them just off to the right of the trail and the family comes almost within arm’s length of the animal.
Kelsey notices the bear first and quickly backs up. Her husband says “Get behind me” and she does so right away and they hide behind a tree. Their baby is in a backpack on Kelsey’s back. It is obvious that she is distressed by the concern in her voice, likely because her baby’s safety is at risk, along with her own and her husband’s.
Kelsey immediately starts looking around to see if there are cubs around. Every wilderness lover knows that a mama bear with her cubs is far more likely to attack to protect her children. Once they pass teh bear safely, Kelsey had this to say: “That [stuff] hits differently when you’re wearing your baby”.
Thankfully, Kelsey and her husband are experienced hikers so they were well-equipped to escape the situation safely. In the video, you can see the husband has something in his hand that appears to be a noise-maker. This would potentially scare the bear away if it did set its sights on the family. It appears they are no stranger to bear greetings but never this close and never when they had their baby with them.
It’s a good reminder to all hikers to be very aware of what animals they should be on the lookout for, especially in remote areas. It’s important to be aware of your surroundings at all times when hiking through unknown terrain. Also, it is smart to have a working knowledge of what the best course of action is if you do, in fact, run into any of these predators. Thankfully, the entire family winded up safe and the couple did not let it stop them from pursuing other fun hikes because it is what they love to do.
