A jogger had a heart-stopping encounter with a black bear and two cubs on a narrow hiking trail in Sierra Madre earlier this month.
The video was captured by a California fitness enthusiast on Nov. 8.
It shows a black bear charging toward the woman with two young cubs following. The bears can be seen following her on the trail as she cautiously backs away, attempting to scare them off with loud roars.
“Went trail running and turned a blind corner to find a mother bear’s head about five inches from my waist and her cubs a few feet behind her,” the woman told Storyful, a video licensing service.
The woman told Storyful that the trail behind the bears split, with both paths leading down the mountain. She worked with another hiker she had encountered earlier to encourage the bears to take one trail while they safely went down the other.
Sierra Madre, located in the San Gabriel Mountains, is well known for its trails and natural beauty and it attracts a wide swath of visitors. But many local predators call the region home and hikers need to be aware of their surroundings.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife says hikers and joggers should carry bear spray, make noise to alert bears of their presence and avoid surprising them, especially around blind corners.