A brown bear attacked a teenager jogging on a trail north of Sitka on Wednesday, injuring her but leaving the out-of-town visitor able to walk to help, according to Alaska State Troopers.
According to radio station KCAW, the young woman, Nicola Rammell, had traveled to the Southeast Alaska city by ferry with her parents on Wednesday. Troopers said the 18-year-old resident of Vancouver, British Columbia, went for a run about 3:40 p.m. on the Mosquito Cove Trail near Starrigavin Creek, about six miles north of downtown Sitka and one mile from the ferry terminal.
KCAW reported the young woman was out in front of the rest of her family, all of them jogging on the mile-and-a-quarter loop during their layover when she came upon the bear, nearly running into it.
Troopers said the sow, which had a cub with it, bit Rammell once. The teen was able to walk back to a trail head and was taken to a hospital with minor injures.
Wildlife officials tried to find the bear and its cub but were unsuccessful. The U.S. Forest Service closed trails and a campground in the area after the attack, troopers said.
By CASEY GROVE
Anchorage Daily News