Bear at Roaring Fork Shelter: An Appalachian Trail Story

A group of hikers decide to stay at a shelter despite warnings of recent bear activity. Find out how the night went from a first hand account from an Appalachian Trail hiker named Maytag.
For more information visit: www.TheATHiker.com

[@vincentmiceli2554]

the moral of this story is, when you see numerous warnings and postings about a bear, take heed and go somewhere else.

[@no_handle_required]

Sleeping under food. Brilliant.

[@sargetheweeniedog]

Hey Maytag! I just found the video, great job! I have told this story many times...best wishes, Coach

[@AnnaC63]

This story is old. A more recent incident resulted in a hiker with food in tent getting nipped. At first the wrong bear was euthanized then I think they trapped and tested the next bear . Not sure if it was relocated or euthanized. If you love bears don't act like their friend. Harrass them and keep them scared of unpredictable humans so they don't get euthanized because you were careless or tried to be "friends". Friends don't get their friends killed.

[@HMDickson]

It's a wonder more of you don't get killed!!! I live in the Smokeys. Been going gold panning there for 40 years. I fire a shot about 2 feet in front of his nose. If he takes one more step, the next one goes through an eye!!! Don't much matter which eye either one will do. Then I urinate on the carcass and walk on. I want all in the clans (bear, cougar, Russian Boar, wolves) to know what happened. After a while they give you a wide birth. You see, a bear can smell you at 3 mile!!! If he is on the trail toward you, it is intentional!!! You kids are not ready to deal with the seriousness of the wilderness, your gonna get hurt!!!!

[@djg5950]

anna christine: Both were put down.

[@djg5950]

@@HMDickson How many have you had to shoot in the eye (either one) and urinate on over the last 40 years ? I bet the total is only: 1. Bullet whizzing past that fockers nose probably deterred him from further advancement. "This guy cray-cray !" bear mumbling to himself.

[@rolpfeiffermuller935]

Thanks airing the outstanding vid.Bliss

[@karenhardin4566]

Great story! Thanks for sharing!

[@Dontwlookatthis]

I got chased onto one of the old shelters by a moma bear who appeared out of nowhere. No one would open the chain link bear fence gate, so I had to run like crazy to the back side, and jump up onto the tin metal roof. I caught my knee on the metal and it tore a big piece of knee skin back in a triangle, but I did not feel it, too much adrenaline, so much that I had jumped higher than I ever had before. Mama didn't have adrenalin to get on the roof, but she tried. I stayed up there for a couple of hours. This was August, 1974. A year later I met another bear outside a shelter and treated it like a dog, yelling and pointing in the direction I wanted it to go. It obeyed. 12 years later I met on on the Rich Mountain trail. I had heard that a harmonica would work, so as the bear and I stood facing each other I pulled out my c key harmonica and blew it as hard as I could. It worked. Bear ran like crazy.

[@cheryllouisetaylor9629]

awesome story. should try that

[@TheATHikerVideos]

@kookiemoose Thanks, Kookiemoose! Nice that you had a friend with you on the trail. On another night at this shelter, the bear just circled camp and didn't bother any of the occupants in the 3 tents that were set up, but the bear scared a poor hiker that was sleeping by himself in the shelter.

[@thebachars]

Adorable story I really enjoyed it!!

[@akbrown15]

great story...great pictures...great adventure.

[@georgepattis8156]

Interesting story. thanks for sharing. As a backpacker doing a group hike have had two times when we took turns sleeping-bears were in the area and we had bear spray . Maybe after the first bear sighting it would be something to consider not everyone to return to sleep if you ever that experience again and have the benefit of having a group with you - since no one had bear spray or a gun in the shelter. Some do not use bear cannisters, bring guns or bear spray, some will skip rules about how close to hang a bear bag to sleeping bag. .. bears can smell that food even inside the bear bag and they want the food USUALLY not you . Every backpacker makes tough decisions on what to carry or not carry as weight is a issue, and often try to always keep moving forward not back.

[@Ironboots123]

So this begs the question why the regs to pack humans in a shelter when the bears know all the designated sites. Habituated. I'm glad I hiked parts of the AT 30 years ago before it became a highway.

[@andromeda436]

Realistic sound effects, excellent.

[@HoboKnight]

What is the guys spif's trail name

[@step2191]

Plot twist...the bear was born deaf.

[@rvz77]

"5 mile hike to the next shelter, and we were all kinda tired." I bet you guys were exhausted the next morning with the lack of sleep!

[@LucidDream]

It would probably scare me a bit too. I live near the Smokies myself and have seen/been near a lot of bears...but I think it would worry me if I were to do the trail. I do really want to hike the whole at.

[@susanriley6414]

crazy stuff.God bless.glad you all stayed safe.

[@TheATHikerVideos]

@yukonroan Good eye! Maytag tried to accurately label all of his photos from the trail but might have mistaken this one. We should also mention that some of the photos are real and some are re-creations. From his account, the bear/cub visits not only this shelter but the next shelter that's about 5 miles north.

[@ChristineKeatley]

@EtienneRandonnee Funny stuff......which state was this?

[@syloskrug9150]

happen to me last night bear took all my food I came back home and going back to the trail with my brother.bear encounters alone are scary

[@cfraimondo233]

Great story. Must have been a scary night

[@maj.d.sasterhikes9884]

When a bear on the AT has become that fearless of people and learned to associate then with food, I should think it would be trapped and relocated far away from that area.

[@rvz77]

Actually studies determined by the Rangers that even if the bear is relocated hundreds of miles away, it can and will find it's way back. Thata why, unfortunately, an unscathed bear of humans is and MUST be a dead bear.

[@JackinTheWoods]

Great story and video, I've often found that when I backpack and hang (hammock) I'm not necessarily threatened by animals but more or less bothered by them, as they seem to be inquisitive or investigating the trail space for food. And they just keep you awake all night, they are no threat, but damn, can't get no sleep with them around.

[@angpookhin9940]

LoseLthY

[@pyromaniak3]

good story

[@YingTou1]

Succinct and to the point. Thanks.

[@aslmad1]

I Kept waiting for you to say that the bear climbed a tree and jumped onto the roof and got your food.

[@quinntheeskimooutdoors6234]

I was in a shelter last weekend no bears, but we put all our food in a bear bag way up in a tree. Thanks.

[@charmainkilloran9133]

Did you say you had brains? Putting the food on the roof right where you would be sleeping!

[@ladymaiden2308]

It is kind of fun to see a bear, at first... if you're adventurous, or stupid LOL. Guess how I learned this one. It's fascinating. And then you remember everything you know about bears. Like they don't have to be hungry to attack you. Like they can run as fast as a thoroughbred for up to 50 meters. When they make that hardcore blowing sound, they are literally pulling are in and taking your scent in from dozens of meters away, they are aggressively throwing the sent back into their sinuses and isolating your scent... And they can smell fear. They don't often attack, but they do attack. And that's what you remember when you're standing there backing up slowly averting your eyes. Remember, if both eyes are in front, don't make eye contact with it. I pray for you hikers on a regular basis Springtime through summer.

[@georgerosado5194]

cool story

[@zutrue]

And none of these "shutter bugs" had a GUN!!??

[@joshuabeall8041]

Our mountains have been invaded by hipsters. I stopped going up there. I live below Boone.

[@josephshields2922]

Edit, You don't need "War and Peace" to tell a one minute story.

[@suckahtubeyew1821]

Pictures and a narrative. Mmmhmmm. Edit: I retract my smart ass statement; look at that bear at 3:50! Holy fucking shit! Call Nat Geo this guy is the next Steve Irwin!

[@bdbushcraft946]

".. wow, we're brainiacs" xD

[@clobbohead]

Good story and narrative but the audio effects were annoying. Thanks!

[@UncleJoeHikes]

Whoah!

[@longrider42]

And no one had a high powered flashlight, or bear spray?

[@thisismecantuseeitsacz5823]

Look like gobbles stiff hiker Dave and the rest of the crew met ole Bear on the trail 😂

[@iceaxe56]

gee--he didn't say "dude"

[@92troach]

Auburn hat. War damn!

[@andreashoppe1969]

That's great

[@mountainpooper]

And no one had bear mace? Seriously...

[@alexriver4997]

Wow!cool story😃⛰

[@walkingbobblehead]

Hey Maytag, It's 3shot. 0ct 24 baby!!

[@cygoris9920]

wow these sound effects LOL

[@Dstuff44Duval904]

So nobody carried bear spray with them???... Being unprepared can get you eaten or just robbed. I even take bear spray to the quickie mart to ward off pan handlers and creeps. No bears down there.

[@iceaxe56]

David Smith Imagine being cooped up in a shelter listening to this guy--i will take my chances with the bear anytime

[@Jeff-lf4yr]

Or a nice big rock and a couple of spears. Hey your in the forest. Id be ok with having blood on my hands to save my shit. You may get charged for animal cruelty but o well .better in a cell then dead or in the hospital

[@joshbaker2157]

So you are bear spraying people begging for money???

[@AnnaC63]

It isn't cruel to harrass wild animals who are becoming habituated to humans. You're saving their life potentially. Don't feed wild animals ! This is something we are having to do to coyotes in suburban neighborhoods. " Making friends" is foolish and has resulted in coyotes abducting not only cats but snatching medium dogs from fenced yards so fast you wouldn't believe it. I can't believe people still have outdoor cats here because the missing cat signs are an epidemic. It's kind to be a wild animal harasser when they are on our territory. That shelter is human territory.

[@thejeeba9538]

@@joshbaker2157 spray them beggers!

[@buzzingtalk]

This is why hiking in America terrifies me. Here in Europe there's nothing like bears or wolves, big cats etc waiting to eat you/scare the shit out of you in the wild.

[@brianbirc]

buzzingtalk yes european subjects have been groomed into a culture of passive anti defence and no gun culture. Cant fight your way out of a wet paper sack anymore.

[@mgpet]

buzzingtalk there are bears and wolves in europe as well...

[@brianbirc]

Maria Vallejo Where and not counting the zoo.

[@mgpet]

brianbirc​ no I am not counting the zoo lol.. but I live in Switzerland and you always hear of wolfs in Grisons and last year there was this M25 bear that came from Italy... so I don't know in which part of Europe you live...

[@brianbirc]

Maria Vallejo LOL I live in the US and used to hunt deer with my dad. My point is that the places we went had significantly higher populations of so called killer animals bears cats wolves. Those animals rarely attack humans. They have been known to attack a camps food supply but are scared off by people. They are hunted by humans under rules determaning when and how many can be taken in a given area by the population in that are. This is all done by wildlife conservation to protect and manage food sources and habitat. They track migration herd sizes and even disease. All thanks to hunters fees. Much like the fear of guns by those who do not know is the fear of wild animals. You mention an italian bear where we have thousands and thousands. I even saw Big Foot tracks no joke

[@newportman27]

I hope u had a proper 420 smoke out!

[@stephaniehardingerasadi193]

Lol 9 times out of 10, our smokies bears won't hurt you. I have been camping there all my life and encountered many. idk why people think they are looking for people to eat :D

[@djg5950]

2:24. That bear has a huge engorged tick on it's neck !

[@djg5950]

@eds9c1 I know that isn't the bear that they are talking about in this video. It's obvious that the story is being retold. What makes you think that it isn't a tick ?

[@Floridafanatic28]

Always carry bear spray and an air horn in bear country!

[@ladymaiden2308]

Floridafanatic28 ... Oh! An air horn! You are brilliant. I'm so glad you shared that. Besides, an air horn is so obnoxious, doesn't it just make you crack up? What better in a time of trial than a little serotonin LOL?

[@HMDickson]

Oh yeah, 92% Effective. Let me interpret that.........only 8 out of 100 get eaten :)

[@djg5950]

@@HMDickson No human in the history of the AT has been eaten by a bear. Bitten yes, but that was due to having food in the tent while sleeping at night. Solution to this problem was to spray the bear in the eyes with bear spray when it approached the shelter. That would deter it if it happened every time it approached. The way the to resolve this is to install bear boxes and kill the nuisance bears at shelters like this. Bears just learn to move onto remoter shelters.

[@kookiemoose]

Great story. I was fortunate enough to have a dog with me during all of my thru hikes, and she'd run them off. To bad about the tent.

[@veritas6466]

Can't bring a dog through the Smokies.

[@samualiam9981]

Its called bear spray.

[@jacobpeak4840]

Samual Iam you only need bear spray if the bear is tryin to attack you this bear was only looking for food had the bear started to attack them maybe or had the bear come into the shelter bear spray last option makes bear more mad

[@josephshields2922]

What are the stupid sound effects?

[@Myr25636]

We ran into a bear on a trail and we were close---really close! Scared the crap out of us. They smell bad, just wreak!! Like wet hound dog x 10.

[@JackinTheWoods]

yes their smell penetrates the air, wet dog smell x 10 is the best way to describe it

[@Persianlady89]

HIKER DAAVE NOOOOOOOOOOOO

[@IanYoungOutdoors]

Very uneventful story, I was waiting for the point but it never came...

[@HikerBiker]

and people haven't gotten any smarter about their food

[@3flashcan]

Looks like that bear has cataracts and does see very well. And some idiot campers have probably fed him or left food behind. The wildlife rangers need to know this and remove the bear from the area and they'll put it in a wildlife rescue area .

[@zerordie95]

lol

[@thomasglandon5078]

Never go in the woods without your 44 magnum.

[@thndrbrd8991]

take along some firecrackers.....m-80's even better.....and theyre lightweight.

[@brianbirc]

Thndr Brd Ya? how many bears have you stopped in charge to attack you getting out m-80's matches or a lighter lighting it and its fuse burning then pop. Are those bears that slow?

[@AnnaC63]

@@brianbirc Talking about black bears, not grizzlies. I think if sticks and shouts apparently worked in this case firecrackers would do even better.

[@randygilbert2288]

@@brianbirc so are handguns in many parts. especially if the trail crosses national park land.

[@brianbirc]

@@randygilbert2288 Well I would rather ask forgiveness and have protection than need it and not have a one. A powerful one for bear. 357 magnum for brown and black bears and 44 magnum or larger for the bigger bears. I is as simple as walking between a momma and her cubs accidentally. Dont target practice or open carry around others.

[@Tide12NC]

Lol...just a little black bear. No they can do some damage certainly. But he wasn’t studying you guys. Just gotten use to people feeding him or getting their food not put away. So that make him a problem bear. He needs relocated.

[@josephshields2922]

Watch the video! The bear's where he belongs, the hikers need to be "relocated".

[@craig79792000]

I know it is the last thing you are supposed to do and only exacerbates the problem and leads to having to put an animal down, but had I been alone I would have made an offering of whatever I could spare to keep him happy. He has already lost almost all fear of humans at this point anyway. I like to think I would poke him with a big stick, but likely I would give him all my food just to save my skinny butt. I would of course leave that in the journal and alert a warden that a bear had somehow (stolen) my food that was just a few feet away from me. I know, I suck. But bears and spiders freak me out. If there is a hell, it is full of spiderbears and they torment me for eternity.

[@paulwright6500]

craig79792000 don't feed the Bears.

[@SuddenlyJesus]

05:30 BEAR

[@je9337]

Geez. Why do people edit stories with ucky music..

[@victoriakiefer7639]

Yoyu can tell a story.. loved it..lmao

[@josephshields2922]

Really? "We saw a bear" would have been sufficient.

[@twhiz5611]

always bring bear spray.

[@vincentmiceli2554]

+Twhiz56 that stuff is pretty worthless, the bear might leave but within minutes he is back with a vengeance, now really ticked off.

[@djg5950]

@@vincentmiceli2554 Not true. If it was the rangers in the Smokies wouldn't use it to train young bears to avoid humans. Apparently, some humans feel it's "cute" to throw food to bears so they can get a picture of them up close. I was down there one year (Cades Cove Loop Road) and standing beside a ranger talking to his supervisor via walkie-talkie who wanted permission to spray a nuisance bear to "send him on his way". I questioned him about this and he said that humans still feed the bears and therefore, some bears hang around the roadside waiting for a treat. He was looking for this bear in the area that I was parked and taking pictures of the scenery. I was shocked that people still fed bears. Contrary to what you think this treatment "urges" the bear to avoid the park road. He doesn't come back with a vengeance and kill a tourist. They are hundreds that he could chose from in Cades Cove on a daily basis if that were the case.

[@kiczara]

Defense strategy: 1. Sleep right under our food 2. Sacrifice Hiker Dave at all costs Sitting here legitimately wondering if this guy would have 1 ounce of remorse of hiker Dave had actually gotten eaten.

[@pennypackmtb2542]

I bearly could do that.

[@BruceMoose]

Ditto.

[@trailtreker7002]

Carry a 38 revolver ... Use Rat shot and relieve yourself of any fears. It works. Tried and true !!

[@veritas6466]

So you shoot and injure a bear? Increasing it's agitation? Making it more unpredictable? Congratulations, you just made an incredibly dangerous animal.

[@colt10mmsecurity68]

#5. Personal patriot mΙSSιlε defense system…. Gιοcκ 20 10mm. A last ditch defense.

[@jimkelley1000]

Eastern black bears are not really a high risk encounter. ONE death per year in the US on average. You took more of a chance driving there in your car. I do have to say that if you really don't want to have close encounters with black bears, don't put the food on the roof five feet over your head - just sayin' BTW, I live in Allegheny Nat Forest and I sing to bears who visit our "bird" feeders - they love it. They are docile, calm and amazing animals. Think about it - if that bear was a killer some of your party would now be dead. Let's hear a nice word for Eastern Black Bears - the gentle giants who hurt no one.

[@stephaniehardingerasadi193]

James Kelley totally agree with you

[@lancebaker1374]

You make as much sense as pit bull owners who claim their dogs would never attack. A sow bear will attack and kill if you accidentally get between her and her cub.

[@djg5950]

@@lancebaker1374 Not necessarily true. Only if she perceives you as being a "threat". Black bears are unpredictable, especially when hungry (early spring) but bear attacks are rare like James Kelley mentions and ALWAYS due to a habituated, successful at stealing food usually, young male bears. It's a human ignorance problem not a bear problem.

[@hansstricker6946]

Where’s the bear spray first line of defense, when that’s out the pistol will destroy that bear. I live in the forest wit both black and brown bear, wouldn’t tolerate that. Really the worst thing for the bears where I live is all the sub division of homesteads loss of habitat

[@brianbirc]

You know what scares bear off and protects you in case of an attack. First is a large cal revolver minimum 357 mag and bigger for small bear places and wolves and cats. Bigger 44 mag and those monster 500 types for large bears. Warning shots are most you will need but there are times when you could need more. If you are a unresponsible pansy with no skill and ability to protect your family. Grown up made afraid of guns types that have just never been exposed to the reality that guns while rarely needed on occasion for some needed at one time. All it takes is one time. There is bear spray for you less competent folk. Be aware of two legged attackers too. Your stuff and your girlfriend look good to freaks and people in hiding.

[@stevemazz3121]

brianbirc A weapon is a good source of protection as long as you know your background in a seating like this. Bear Spray is the most effective defense against bears that are snooping or looking for an easy meal... A bear on the hunt is a different story. In that case pray your powder is dry.

[@tomjeffersonwasright2288]

+Steve Mazzoncini Compare statistics on deaths caused by bears with the numbers killed by New Yorkers,or perhaps, Mr Mazzoncini, killed by Italians. Those 2 groups make the bears look like real wimps. Have you ever made a video, or even posted a comment on the danger posed by New York citizens or Italian-Americans? Keep it in perspective.

[@tomjeffersonwasright2288]

+Steve Mazzoncini OOPS! Sorry Mr Mazzoncini, the above comment was meant to be addressed to +brianbir, ,I withdraw any reference to those brave sons of Garibaldi and honorable heirs of Marconi.

[@tomjeffersonwasright2288]

Take a course in reading for comprehension.

[@brianbirc]

+tom jackson If ya have something to say to me say it. If you read my comment I did address the two legged attackers Steves comment was infact good advice. While the gun would work for the bear not attacking it is overkill and will require a good explanation if you do not have a bear tag in season. The powder part was antiquated since the invention of the modern cartridge. What does protecting yourself from mobsters have to do with bear attacks. Answer you need a gun to have a chance. I say to anti gun nuts what about all the people that fall that is a lot higher number than homicide in my country. You can't ban needed tools because shit happens.

[@unitedwestand5100]

The moral of this story is don't camp where hippies and novice backpackers camp. They've caused these bear problems by feeding the bears, and by their poor habits of leaving trash and food scraps behind.. Camp away from the shelters. Far away, and police up after yourselves! Keep in mind that when you leave a campsite, no one should be able to tell you were ever there. Not even by a fire ring! Otherwise just stay out of my woods!

[@djg5950]

Best and most accurate advice in this whole thread.

[@momy424]

kool story i bet you guys smoke lots of weed on the trails?

[@robertl.fallin7062]

just take fire crackers, Small, cheep and one will do. . .. Ive photographed more bears on Thursday afternoons than most people have seen in their lives. so just do fire crackers. cause Fn guns are just too much troubke.

[@LouieTheGoldenAgeGamer]

Silly human. See bear, kill bear, eat bear, laugh, keep hiking :)

[@mconley12345]

gay, no one packs a gun....you must be ultra light hikers lol

[@syloskrug9150]

why don't they hunt all these bears so we can enjoy the trail.every time I'm out all I can think about is bears.i hiked 2 days and encountered 3 bears, 2 in the night and one in the day.

[@tomstone7573]

sylos krug so kill nature so you can get out and enjoy nature ?

[@syloskrug9150]

Tom Stone No. kill beasts so we can enjoy nature.

[@syloskrug9150]

If it wasn't for the bears I would live out in the trail

[@jam5533]

Well it's more of respect to the animal to live in their own environment.

[@toLothair2]

@@syloskrug9150 I'm glad there are bears if it keeps you from living on the trail.