Two large grizzly bears followed 13 hikers down a trail in Banff National Park for 20 minutes, with one of them making a few quick runs at the group. .“It's not every day that you think you're actually going to be that close to two grizzly bears,” Discover Banff Tours hiking guide Phoebe Nicholson told CBC News Calgary on Thursday. .“A pretty intense, but also pretty amazing experience, to see animals like that in the wild, just in their natural habitat, going for a walk with us.”.Nicholson, who is from Australia, said it was her first ever encounter with a grizzly since moving to Canada one year ago and working in Banff as a hiking guide for six months. .She said the grizzlies remained 10 to 20 metres behind the hikers for 20 minutes and she was prepared by carrying bear spray. .In her training and on tours, she said she talks about bears. She added she “knew exactly what I should be doing, but it is different putting it into action.”.The group started their hike at Moraine Lake. One of the hikers alerted Nicholson about the bears after hearing rustles in the bushes behind them two-thirds of the way up Consolation Lake Trail. .While the bears seemed large, she said she believes they were a mother and her cub. .The cub did a few quick runs at one point, which might have been a bluff charge. Bluff charges are when bears run at people to see what their reactions will be. .From Nicholson’s training, she knew it was a normal practice. The best response is to stay calm and keep a slow pace, so that is what the group did. .The bears left the hikers soon after, continuing their walk up the mountain once they reached Consolation Lake. .“We all kind of just watched in awe, getting our breath back from what had just happened,” said Nicholson. .Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley WildSmart program director Nick de Ruyter admitted encounters such as hers are ordinary. De Ruyter said bears often choose to walk on trails because it is easier. .”Typically when I hear stories like this, it's just bears trying to move from A to B, and we just happen to be in their way on the trail,” said de Ruyter. .“Safely moving off the trail and letting them pass is probably one of the easiest and best things you can do.”.In his teachings, he uses three words: stop, talk, walk. .He said people should never run. Instead, they should back away slowly and move out of the bear’s way. .In cases where backing up for long periods of time might be too difficult, he said hikers can move slowly off the trail when it is safe to do so. .De Ruyter emphasized leaving the area slowly, talking to the bear in a calm voice, and avoiding eye contact can be helpful, particularly with grizzly encounters. He recommended “having bear spray out and ready to go, just in case.” .Parks Canada reminded Banff National Park visitors to obey warnings and area closures and to stay on the official trails. .Parks Canada urged people to keep bear spray accessible and understand how to use it, make noise, keep dogs on leashes at all times, travel in large groups of four or more people and stay together on the trail, watch for the signs of bears — tracks, droppings or disturbances— and leave the area if they are fresh, and report any sightings to the park's visitor centre or to Banff Dispatch if in the park at 403-762-1470..Alberta Parks closed certain Kananaskis Region trails until further notice because of an injured grizzly bear on August 3. .READ MORE: Kananaskis trails closed because of injured grizzly bear.“Although an advisory is in place for this area, bears can be encountered anywhere in the Kananaskis Region at any time,” said Alberta Parks. .Alberta Parks said the trails affected were the Rawson Lake Trail and the Sarrail Ridge Route.
