Mother bear attacks first-time hikers on Mount Si; teens injured

A hiking group that included first-timers got the ultimate fright Tuesday when a black bear encounter hospitalized one teenager and left another with injuries, according to authorities.

While on the main Mount Si trail near North Bend, a group of about a half-dozen basketball players from Auburn's Thomas Jefferson High School stumbled across a mother black bear and her cubs, according to King County Search and Rescue.

During the encounter about 2.7 miles up the main Mount Si trail, a black bear charged the group and swiped at one of the hikers," according to Fish & Wildlife, and "a teenage boy received scratches from the black bear."

He suffered "non-life-threatening injuries and was semi-ambulatory," said Brandyn Hull, spokesperson for the King County sheriff's office.

Several hikers called 911, including one person from the group, said Sara Autio, a spokesperson for search and rescue.

One rescue team happened to be up on the summit for training, and another was near enough to get to the trailhead within 12 minutes of the call, Autio said. The summit group took the injured boy to a place where an ATV could retrieve him, and he was later taken to a hospital. Another hiker was injured while fleeing, Autio said. Eastside Fire & Rescue crews confirmed the second hiker was treated for less-serious injuries that did not require hospitalization.

A second group of hikers also reported being closely followed for "several miles" by a black bear, according to Fish & Wildlife. Trails remained closed while officers from the agency tried to find the animal.

The Mount Si trails, on a prominent craggy peak about a 30-mile drive outside Seattle, are some of the most popular in the Cascades.

Black bears are native to Washington, but attacks are rare, with roughly 20 documented in the state's history and only one encounter that ended in a person's death, in 1974. The last encounter that left a person injured came in 2022, when a bear attacked a man jogging north of Lake Whatcom.

Fish & Wildlife officials advise people to avoid black bears. If approached by one, stand up, wave your hands and talk in a low voice while backing away and avoiding direct eye contact. Officials also recommend carrying bear spray.

Autio credited the hikers for doing the right things, like hiking together in a group, calling 911 for help and cooperating with emergency responders.

But, she added, "I'm sure they didn't expect this to be the way their day unfolded.

Material from The Seattle Times archives was included in this report.

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