The Unbelievable True Story of the Hiker Who Survived Back-to-Back Grizzly Bear Attacks

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The Unbelievable True Story of the Hiker Who Survived Back-to-Back Grizzly Bear Attacks
"I could feel her breath on the back of my neck and her front claws digging into my back."
By Todd Orr   
This past October, I took an early morning hike in the Madison Valley in southwest Montana. Knowing that bears are common throughout the area and not wanting to surprise one, I hollered out, “Hey, bear!” every 30 seconds.

About three miles in, I stepped out into a meadow and hollered again. A few more steps and I spotted a grizzly bear with her cubs on the trail at the upper end of the meadow. The sow saw me right away, and they all ran up the trail. But then she stopped, turned, and charged straight for me. I yelled so she would know I was human and hopefully turn back. No such luck. I gave her a full charge of bear spray at about 25 feet. Her momentum carried her right through the orange mist and onto me.

I dived face-first into the dirt and wrapped my arms around the back of my neck for protection. She was on top of me, biting my arms, shoulders, and backpack. The force of each bite was like a sledgehammer with teeth. Over and over she bit me. After what felt like hours but was merely minutes, she disappeared.

Continued: http://www.rd.com/true-stories/survival/grizzly-bear-attack/