An interesting two-part story in the Los Angeles Times yesterday and today on an Escondido man’s recovery from a grizzly bear mauling in Glacier National Park. It’s worth a read.

Johan Otter, an administrator at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, was hiking in the Montana park with his daughter when the bear attacked.

The bear did hear him, however. It looked over the cliff and pounced. Johan had never seen anything move so fast in his life. He tucked into a fetal position. The bear fell upon him, clawing and biting at his back. His day pack protected him, and his mind started racing again.

His daughter didn’t have a pack. He always carried the water and snacks. If the bear got to her, it’d tear her apart.

I found the story particularly chilling. My dad and I hiked that same trail just one month before the attack occurred.

ROB DAVIS

Leave a comment

We expect all commenters to be constructive and civil. We reserve the right to delete comments without explanation. You are welcome to flag comments to us. You are welcome to submit an opinion piece for our editors to review.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.