A hiker probably couldn't have done anything more to save himself when he surprised a grizzly at close range in the dark in Glacier National Park on May 3 and was subsequently killed, a seasoned bear-country trekker told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday.
Anthony Pollio, 33, of Davie, Florida, used bear spray at some point during the attack “but it is unknown if and where the spray contacted the bear,” according to an incident report from the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee.
The attack likely occurred between 9:15 and 10 p.m., when Pollio was hiking down the Mt. Brown lookout trail, the report states. He suffered fatal bit wounds to his head.
“Darkness and deadfall on the trail would have prevented the bear and Mr. Pollio from seeing each other until they were very close,” according to the report.
Pollio might have been using his cell phone light to illuminate his path, but it isn’t known whether he was making any noise before encountering the bear, the report says.
Outdoor adventurer Michael Hodges was in Glacier at the time, and said he avoids hiking before dawn or after dark whenever possible.
“I’m not saying he (Pollio) did anything wrong,” said Hodges, a novelist and internet personality.
He said Pollio, who was described by friends and family as an experienced outdoorsman, probably didn’t set out with the intent of staying out past dark.
Letting the day get away while enjoying the backcountry and hiking out later than planned is a mistake even experienced outdoors people sometimes make, Hodges said.
Running into a grizzly on a narrow trail in the dark is a “worst-case scenario,” Hodges said. “That’s a nightmare scenario.”
“No bear spray, no gun is going to save you in a situation like that,” he added.
Brief, Intense Attack
The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee includes officials from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, the National Park Service and other agencies.
The committee’s report on the investigation of the site where Pollio’s body was found May 6 indicate that the attack, by an adult male grizzly, was brief and intense.
His body was found about 69 feet below the trail and about 2.5 miles from the trailhead.
During the attack, Pollio “fell or was thrown downhill” off the trail about 93 feet during the initial contact with the bear, according to a detailed incident report from the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee.
“His path was littered with personal effects beginning 10 ft (feet) below the trail. We believe the bear followed Mr. Pollio downhill, continuing the attack. Spatters of blood increased in frequency and volume down the hill,” according to the report.
One of Pollio’s ears was found about 40 feet downslope and a large pool of blood marked the end of his descent, the report states.
“Based on blood marks and the orientation of branches, it appears as though Mr. Pollio managed to climb back up slope approximately 18 ft, at which point the bear re-engaged and inflicted the fatal bites to Mr. Pollio’s head,” the report states.
There was no evidence of “predation” on Pollio’s body and the bear apparently left immediately after the attack, the committee reported.
Pollio’s last known communication was a text message sent to girlfriend at 8:20 p.m. May 3 from about .9 miles up the trail from the attack site, according to the report. The text indicated that he expected to make it back to the trailhead around 11 p.m.
Bears Use Trails Too
Bears are smart enough to “take the path of least resistance,” so they like using hiking trails, Kim Titchener, founder of the Bear Safety and More organization in Canada, told Cowboy State Daily.
Bears like to avoid people and will use hiking trails at times when people typically don’t, such as before dawn or after dark, she said.
That’s can make hiking on trails during those times particularly dangerous, she said.
The trails in Glacier have “lots of switchbacks” and blind corners with thick vegetation, she said.
That can make surprise close encounters more likely, and bears might react defensively in those situations, Titchener said.
Grizzlies usually attack to “neutralize a perceived threat” and will stop once they realize a person is no longer a threat, she added.
In many cases, “playing dead” will stop a grizzly attack, she said.
It’s best to hike during the daylight, in groups, “making lots of noise,” Titchener said.
Hodges agreed that bears in Glacier like using hiking trails at odd hours, usually in the dark, and so he tries to avoid being on the trails at those times.
The attack on Pollio was most likely the result of bad circumstances, he said.
But he’s observed other hikers in Glacier displaying bad behavior.
“They’re spending 10 minutes filming themselves out hiking and not paying attention to what’s going on around them,” he said.
Glacier is no place for that, Hodges said.
“This is a national park that has the same number of bears as Yellowstone, in an area that’s about half the size of Yellowstone,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
