RED LODGE POST
Nature is king in Glacier National Park. Nature operates and plays by its own rules, not within artificial boundaries understood and set by man. Since 1910, when Glacier National Park was established, 260 people have met death at the hands of nature or from other causes in the park. Many more experienced dangerous situations and lived to tell about it.
The National Park Service does all it can do within its power to make the park safe for visitors. But when nature and people come together, bad things can sometimes happen.
Perhaps the most shocking is a tragedy which occurred in August,1967. Within the space of a few short hours, at separate locations in Glacier National Park, two teenage girls, Julie Helgeson from Minnesota and Michele Koons from California, met death at the hands of marauding grizzly bears. This story is told in a book entitled Night of the Grizzlies, by Jack Olsen.
Every visit to Glacier should and can be a wonderful and safe experience. This post is not of the cheery sort, but tells of important things to know about nevertheless.
Absaroka Mountain, Mont.
© 2021 John Sandy