The powerline trail near Quarry lake in Canmore where a Danish tourist encountered a bear. This photo is from 2011 and I’ve superimposed the bear over the photo. The vegetation has grown considerably since this photo was taken.

The scene of this incident near Quarry Lake in Canmore is one I’m very familiar with. Our house is near the area, and I’ve walked under the powerline hundreds of times.

Quarry lake in Canmore

We saw two ESRD vehicles on Peaks drive where it intersects the Powerline pathway last night. The trail under the powerline was closed with barricades and yellow tape.

The Calgary Sun has a story today Tourist survives Canmore bear encounter but what’s more interesting are the comments following the report. The man who was involved in the incident, Torben Lund,  actually chimed in after a number of comments had been posted, some questioning whether it was even a bear. For example, “Charged and bit then went away, brown fur. I don’t think it was a bear.”

A CBC story has a quote from Wildsmart’s Kim Titchener “there is a cinnamon coloured bear with two cubs in the area and it might have been a defensive attack by the mom.”

Mr Lund sounds like a reasonable person who was probably momentarily distracted, and I imagine the bear was busy devouring buffalo berries which are now ripe and in plentiful supply. It would have been easy to get too close. The vegetation under the powerline has grown considerably since I took the photo in 2011, and could conceal a bear until you’re almost on top of it.

Update: A more detailed story has been posted in the Crag and Canyon: Tourist survives Canmore bear encounter

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