A bear attacked and injured four of seven NOLS students as they were crossing a creek in Alaska without instructors on Saturday.
The student group is part of the NOLS Alaska Backpacking Course that started on June 30, 2011 with 14 students and three instructors. The Alaska State Troopers were contacted via personal locating beacon, activated by the student group, and responded to the scene. The students were evacuated in two groups via helicopter.
Two injured students are at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage. The other two injured students were transported to Mat-Su Regional Hospital in Palmer. One student has been treated and released.
The incident occurred in the western Talkeetna Mountains approximately 45 miles northeast of the town of Talkeetna. The students had crossed or were in the process of crossing a creek when they came in contact with a bear that attacked the group.
Students indicate that they were following accepted bear safety practices-calling out to warn bears of their presence and carrying bear spray.
The students were on the 24th day of a 30-day backpacking course that teaches outdoor travel and camping skills. They were on the first day of their student expedition, in which students hike for the remaining days of their course as a student group without instructors. The rest of the course and instructors have been evacuated by helicopter. The parents of all students on the course have been notified.
NOLS was founded in 1965 by legendary mountaineer Paul Petzoldt. More than 15,000 students graduate from NOLS each year. The school teaches leadership, teamwork, environmental ethics, wilderness medicine, and wilderness technical skills.
