One teenager was hospitalized after an encounter with a black bear Tuesday on the Mount Si trail near North Bend, and a second teen suffered minor injuries, according to authorities.
One person in a group of three hikers was injured when they were attacked by the bear, according to the state Department of Fish & Wildlife. Rescue crews were working to bring the patient off the trail around 2:30 p.m. with an ATV.
The encounter took place 2.7 miles up the main Mount Si trail, officials said.
During the encounter, 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.” The boy was brought down on an ATV by King County Search and Rescue, then taken to a hospital.
He suffered “non-life-threatening injuries and was semi-ambulatory,” said Brandyn Hull, spokesperson for the King County sheriff’s office.
Eastside Fire & Rescue crews confirmed a second person was also treated for less serious injuries that did not require hospitalization. It was not immediately clear if the that teen was hurt by the animal or while fleeing.
A second group of hikers also reported being closely followed for “several miles” by a black bear, according to Fish & Wildlife. Trails will remain closed while officers from the agency try to find the animal.
The Mount Si trails, 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.
