I Survived the Attack of the Grizzlies, 1967

by Lauren Tarshis

  At that moment it was just three of them:

  The grizzly. The porcupine. And Mel.

  Three terrified animals, alone in the wild.

  “It was my fault,” Mel said, sobbing in Aunt Cassie’s arms.

  They were up in their little room.

  Steve had cleaned and bandaged the wound on her leg. The cut wasn’t so deep after all. The claw hadn’t hit muscle or bone. Mel would have a scar, but nothing like Steve’s.

  And she didn’t feel any pain. She just felt confused and angry. Mostly at herself.

  It was her fault. That’s what most people at the chalet thought.

  “What was she doing out there?” Greg had shouted. “Stupid girl!”

  Mel thought Steve — gentle, quiet Steve — was going to punch the guy.

  “Don’t you dare call her that,” he hissed. “This whole place … what you’re doing here. It’s wrong. It’s a miracle that she wasn’t killed.”

  That shut Greg up. But the worst was what Mel heard as Cassie was taking her upstairs. They passed the three men Mel had seen on the porch.

  “It was unbelievable,” the mustache man had said. “A girl and a grizzly … and then a porcupine scares it away! You can’t make this stuff up!”

  They men had laughed, as if Mel had put on a show just for them. The memory of it made Mel sob harder. Cassie held her tight, rubbing her back.

  Finally, Aunt Cassie pulled away and gripped Mel by the shoulders.

  “All right,” she said. “That’s enough.”

  Her voice sounded stern. “No more of this. It is not your fault. The people who work here have been feeding grizzly bears! How could this be your fault?”

  “But if I hadn’t run off —” Mel started, but Aunt Cassie cut her off.

  “No,” she said, wiping Mel’s tears with a bandanna.

  “And another thing …” Cassie said. She gripped Mel’s chin, gently but firmly, and looked her in the eyes. “The car accident. That’s not your fault, either.”

  Mel stopped crying. She stared at Cassie in surprise.

  “Yes,” Cassie said, her voice softening. “I know that’s what you think. I know that’s why you won’t talk about any of this, why you’re not able to let go of that night.”

  Mel sat back. “How do you know that?”

  “Because I know you,” Aunt Cassie said, gripping Mel’s shoulders. “And maybe I would have felt the same way if I was eleven, and my mother … my incredible mother … was killed before my eyes. I would want to make sense of it. I would want to know why. Why? And maybe I would think it was better to blame myself than to think there was no reason … that it was just an accident.”

  Cassie gave Mel a squeeze.

  “But it’s not right. You must stop thinking this way. You know what your mother would say to you if she knew you were blaming yourself? You know how mad she’d be?”

  Mel pictured Mom … her fiery temper. And to her own surprise, she let out a little laugh.

  Not that it was funny. But it felt good to laugh, like taking a big breath when you’ve been underwater for too long.

  A few minutes later, Steve knocked on the door, then popped his head inside.

  “Everything okay?” he asked.

  Cassie looked at Mel.

  Mel nodded.

  Cassie turned to Steve. “It will be.”

  They left the next morning, and were back at the cabin by three o’clock.

  Mel asked Cassie and Steve not to tell Pops what had happened with the grizzly. Cassie didn’t approve. But Mel convinced them that it would be too much for Pops. At least right now. She promised she’d tell him and Dad when they got home. The whole story.

  But they did share with Pops all they discovered at the Granite Park Chalet. They turned their cabin into an office for Cassie. For three days, the sound of Pops’s old typewriter filled the cabin.

  The editor of National Geographic was waiting for the article. On Saturday, they all drove into town to mail it.

  They stood in front of the mailbox and Cassie handed the big, fat envelope to Mel.

  “You do it,” she said with a smile. “This was all your idea.”

  “Let’s do it together,” Mel said. They each held one side of the envelope and pushed it through the slot.

  They stood there for a moment, and Mel felt a rush of hope.

  But that hope died the next day, when Steve came rushing to the cabin. And what he told them was more shocking than anything Mel could have imagined, and far more terrifying.

  When Steve first came inside he could barely speak.

  He collapsed into a chair and sat there in shock. Mel, Pops, and Aunt Cassie gathered around him. Luckily Kevin had played hard all morning and was taking a nap.

  Mel studied Steve’s face. It was a jumble of anger and sadness.

  He took a deep breath.

  “There was grizzly attack last night at Granite Park, at the campground below the chalet, just after midnight.” He spoke so quietly that they had to lean close. “A nineteen-year-old girl was killed. The grizzly dragged her from her sleeping bag. She had a friend with her. A young man. The bear bit him up. But he survived.”

  Mel’s whole body started to shake.

  “One hour later,” Steve continued, “there was another attack. A second girl was killed.”

  He swallowed. “And it wasn’t at Granite Park.”

  “Where was it?” Mel asked.

  “Trout Lake.”

  Pops frowned. “But that’s at least ten miles from Granite Park. There must be a mistake. No grizzly can move that fast.”

  Steve closed his eyes and took a breath. “It was a different grizzly.”

  “But, son, that can’t be right,” Pops said. “It’s just impossible. Two girls killed in one night, by two different grizzlies?”

  “I know, sir,” Steve said. “But it happened. It happened. I heard from the rangers today. They’re hunting for the grizzlies right now.”

  Mel clasped her hands together. She felt sick.

  Pops stood up slowly.

  “All right,” he said. “I’ve made a decision. We’re leaving here as soon as we can. It’s not safe to stay.” His voice cracked a little. Like when he’d told Mel Mom was gone, after the crash.

  By Tuesday morning they had packed up, cleaned the cabin, and loaded the car. Steve came to say good-bye to all of them. He was staying; the rangers had asked for his help.

  “They understand that this place needs some big changes,” he said. “They’re already starting to clean up some of the campgrounds. And they’re going to do much more. So at least that’s a start.”

  “But look what it took … those poor girls,” Pops said.

  Both girls were nineteen, and in college. They worked at Glacier. Just like Mom and Cassie had when they were in college.

  “And the bears?” Cassie asked. “Have they found them?”

  “The Granite Park bear was a mother with two cubs,” Steve said, nodding. “They’ve shot that bear. Her paw was completely torn up, probably by glass. She had to be in pain.”

  “And the other one?” Pops asked. “The Trout Lake bear?”

  Steve looked down for a moment. And Mel knew what he was going to say.

  “It was the same bear that came here. I’m sure. Skinny, sickly. They shot it, too. That bear was also suffering. Its teeth were full of glass.”

  Old Slim.

  Of course that bear wasn’t a monster. He was just a sick animal, in pain.

  Steve hugged them all good-bye. He said he’d visit them at home in a few weeks.

  And an hour later they were pulling away from the cabin, with Cassie’s Volkswagen following behind. She was coming to stay with them for a week in Wisconsin.

  Mel turned and watched as Lake McDonald slowly disappeared, until it was just a thin line of turquoise in the distance. She rolled down her window and breathed in the sweet smell of pine. Some birds sang out, as though they were saying good-bye.


  Mel whispered good-bye back, just in case.

  Just in case they never came back to Glacier again.

  “Here we are!” Dad said as he turned down the dirt road that led to the cabin. The car had barely stopped before Kevin flung open the door and rushed down to the beach.

  “Wait for me!” Pops called out, limping after him.

  Mel stepped out of the car and took a deep breath.

  Dad came around and put his arm across her shoulders.

  “Good to be back here.”

  And it was. It looked the same as it always did. There was their snug cabin with the big front porch. There were the pine trees. And there was Lake McDonald, the bright blue water shimmering in the late-afternoon sun.

  Everything looked the same. But things had changed here at Glacier. They’d been hearing all about it from Steve. And they’d read Cassie’s new big story in National Geographic: How one tragic night in August would transform the park forever.

  The deaths of those two girls had transformed Glacier and other national parks in America. Campgrounds had been cleaned up. Granite Park Chalet had a huge new incinerator for trash. The manager, Greg, was gone. There were more rangers to patrol the trails and to follow up on reports of problem bears. Park visitors received a long list of rules for camping and hiking — to never leave trash or food behind in the campgrounds, to never feed the wildlife.

  To show respect.

  Some campers and hikers were following the rules. Some weren’t. Mel knew that it would probably take years for some people to understand what it really meant to show respect for the wilderness. But at least now she felt some hope.

  After a simple dinner of hot dogs and beans, all four of them headed down to the beach.

  While Pops and Kevin built a campfire, Mel and Dad walked to the water’s edge. They stood shoulder to shoulder and looked out on the lake.

  “Your mother loved it here so much,” he said.

  “I know,” Mel said. “Remember how she used to dare us to jump into the lake?”

  “And how she made us climb to the top of the fire tower?” Dad said.

  “And the time she caught four trout in one afternoon?” Mel said.

  “And then bragged about it all summer?”

  They laughed.

  They talked about Mom all the time now. And when Mel felt that heart-cracking sadness coming over her, she didn’t sit alone in her room. She found Dad. Or Pops. Or called one of her friends.

  “Mel!” Kevin screeched. “Daddy! We’re roasting marshmallows!”

  “Okay, Kev!” Mel shouted back.

  “He’s even bossier than Mom,” Dad said, shaking his head and smiling. “If that’s possible.”

  With the fire roaring, Pops started up his stories. Kevin snuggled on his lap, clutching his new favorite toy. Only Aunt Cassie would know where to find a stuffed porcupine.

  Mel looked around at her family. Her eyes started to water. She missed Mom so much. And she knew how happy Mom would be that they were here.

  Mel didn’t try to stop her tears.

  Steve had been right. It was no good trying to hold things in. Running from sadness was like running from a grizzly bear. It would chase you. And it would catch you.

  Mel was done running away.

  KEEP READING TO LEARN

  WHY LAUREN TARSHIS WROTE

  ABOUT THE GRIZZLY

  ATTACKS, AND HEAR MORE

  AMAZING GRIZZLY FACTS!

  A mother grizzly and two cubs in Glacier National Park

  Dear Readers,

  You might think that after writing this book, I’m hiding under my desk with my poodle, Roy, nervously watching out the window for grizzlies. But no. First of all, we don’t have grizzlies in Connecticut.

  And more importantly, working on this book taught me that grizzlies are not to be feared. They are not bloodthirsty beasts. They are magnificent animals whose wilderness habitats are under constant threat by humans. This book is not really about two terrifying animal attacks. It’s about what happens when humans don’t respect the wild.

  I first learned about the bear attacks of 1967 a couple of years ago, when I was visiting Glacier National Park. I was actually on my way home from a different I Survived research trip, for my book about the eruption in Mount St. Helens, in Washington.

  As my husband, David, and I were heading back to Connecticut, we stopped in Glacier. It had been a long-time dream of mine to visit this famously beautiful national park. We had planned three days of hiking and exploring.

  It was in the ranger station bookstore that I spotted a book called Night of the Grizzlies, by Jack Olsen. As the author of I Survived and the editor of Storyworks, I am always on the lookout for ideas for books and articles. And so I snatched that book right up.

  Was it smart to read about grizzly bear attacks during a vacation in Glacier Park? Maybe not. But after reading just a few pages, I knew I had a topic for I Survived.

  As always, I did an enormous amount of research to create this story. I read at least twenty different books. I watched videos, studied photographs and maps.

  I also studied the true stories of people who had been attacked by grizzlies. In almost all of those cases, the person had accidentally surprised a grizzly in the wild. Several of the people had purposely approached a grizzly, hoping to get a photograph or a closer look.

  And that’s what made the events of August 1967 so shocking. The young women who were tragically killed — Julie Helgeson and Michele Koons — had not surprised or threatened the grizzlies that attacked them. Both had been sleeping in campgrounds.

  But as scientists agree, the grizzlies cannot be “blamed” for those attacks. And of course neither can those two young women. Those attacks happened because those bears had lost their fear of humans. Years of eating garbage and leftover food had changed the bears’ behavior.

  The attacks of August 1967 shocked people across the country. Some people demanded that all grizzlies in Glacier — and anywhere else in America — be shot.

  Luckily that did not happen. The park service recognized that Glacier and other national parks needed to be changed to make them safer for grizzlies and humans.

  In the days and weeks after the attacks, rangers began to clean up the park. The park service fixed campgrounds so they were less likely to attract bears. They built garbage cans that even smart grizzlies couldn’t open. They made strict rules about camping in the backcountry. Never again would they ignore warnings about “problem” bears.

  I hope this book has not made you afraid of grizzlies. My goal was to spark your curiosity so you’ll want to learn more. I also hope this book inspires you to want to help protect our wilderness and the animals that live there.

  And I do hope you get to visit Glacier National Park at some point in your life. It really is a magical place. It’s doubtful you will ever see a grizzly. But if you do glimpse one — from a safe distance — consider yourself lucky.

  Until the 1960s, people driving through Glacier and other national parks often stopped to feed wildlife. This is now strictly forbidden.

  Is it safe to hike and camp in areas where there are grizzlies?

  Every year, millions of people visit places like Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks, and hike through “grizzly country.” Bear attacks are extremely rare. In fact, a person is far more likely to get hurt in a park by tripping on a trail or getting stung by a bee. Still, there are important rules for sharing the wilderness with grizzlies. Here are the basics of bear safety:

  Hike in groups. Groups of three or more are best.

  Watch for signs of bears in the area, like tracks and scat.

  Make lots of noise when hiking — talk loudly, sing, and clap your hands. Whistling isn’t a good idea because it could sound like an animal and actually attract a bear to you. Bells aren’t a good idea, either.

  If you do notice a bear, stay far away from it (and all wildlife). Never approach a bear. You risk startling it if you go closer. Don�
��t hike after dark, or at dawn or dusk. That’s when bears tend to be most active.

  Pay extra attention in areas where there are thick trees or where you can’t see around you. Make extra noise near rushing water because it makes it hard for bears to hear you coming.

  Check for warnings on trailheads. Talk to rangers and ask if there have been bear sightings. Follow all of their advice.

  Make sure people know where you are going and when to expect you back.

  Have your family bring bear spray, but make sure that your parents practice using it. Studies have shown that it is the most effective way to stop an aggressive bear. BUT bear spray only works if a person knows how to use it. The spray cans are tricky to use. And a bear spray can is only useful if it’s easy to grab; never keep it in a backpack.

  Today in Glacier and other national parks, people are given clear warnings about bears and other dangers.

  How many grizzlies are there in America?

  Before the 1700s, tens of thousands of grizzly bears roamed North America, as far south as Mexico and as far north as Alaska. Members of native nations and tribes hunted them and worshipped them. But during the 1800s, grizzlies were hunted and killed by settlers, farmers, and ranchers. By the 1960s, there were only about 1,000 left in the lower forty-eight states (that’s every state except Hawaii and Alaska).

  The American government decided that the grizzly bear was in danger of becoming extinct — that it could disappear from the Earth forever. It needed to be protected. And so in 1975, the grizzly bear officially became a “threatened” species. This meant the grizzly could no longer be hunted. Scientists worked hard to help it recover in the wild.

  Today, there are an estimated 1,600 grizzly bears living mostly in Montana and Wyoming (including in Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks).

  Alaska has the biggest grizzly population in the world: 32,000. That’s because there is a lot more open land and far fewer humans in our forty-ninth state.