Bear Runs Over Hiker on Chugach State Park Trail

courtesy of Anchorage Daily News
by Lisa Demer

A hiker in Chugach State Park was run over by a grizzly bear this morning after surprising it on the overgrown South Fork Rim Trail, a state biologist said.

The hiker was scratched, but not seriously hurt, said Jessy Coltrane, Anchorage-area biologist with the state Department of Fish and Game.

Park rangers closed the South Fork trail because of the encounter, which she called a mauling. The trail runs parallel to the powerline trail at Prospect Heights.

“The bear basically ran over him,” Coltrane said.

The hiker was with another person and two dogs on leashes that were wearing bear bells. They were less than 30 minutes from the Prospect Heights parking lot, she said.

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