A thru-hiker on the Appalachian Trail said it was agonizing when a bear bit him in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Bradley Veeder, 49, was sleeping in his tent near Spence Field Backcountry Shelter on May 10 when a bear attacked and bit him in the leg through his tent.
Veeder survived with minor puncture wounds to his right calf, a very hoarse voice, and slightly swollen knuckles on his right hand, according to the first-hand account he posted this week on his blog. He decided to write down his account to inform others about the attack.
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He wrote that on the night he was attacked, three Appalachian Trail maintainers told him the shelter was overcrowded and he should pitch his tent. The group suggested a spot in the field about 200 feet away from the shelter.
Veeder said he got his tent ready and hung his bear bag from the shelter's bear cables.
Later that evening, Veeder said he returned to his tent and went to sleep.
About two and a half hours later, the bear attacked him.
"Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my right calf and an agonizing sensation like my calf was being squeezed in a vise. Sure that it was a bear, I sat up and screamed, 'No, bear! Go away!' The bear let go of my leg, and I noticed that it was dark outside," Veeder explained.
The bear would return to the tent several more times forcing him to try and scare it away.
"Then there was stillness for about a minute. Hoping that the bear had gone away, I slowly started reaching toward the vestibule zipper. Just as my hand was about to close on the zipper, the bear attacked the vestibule again, narrowly missing my hand. Another loud shout from me, and the bear stopped the attack," Veeder wrote.
During a brief pause, he said he left his campsite and limped toward the shelter. Once inside, another hiker helped him with first aid and they contacted park rangers.
In the morning, a few hikers at the shelter went to help get Veeder's belongings. They found that the bear had returned and moved his things 100 yards from the camping site, he explained.
"It had chewed everything that I had left behind (tent, tent poles, backpack, water filter, water bottles, phone, book, etc.). With extremely lucky timing, I had made it to the shelter after the initial attack and before the bear returned," Veeder wrote.
Park officials responded to the scene in the morning and transported him to the hospital.
The park closed the shelter after the attack to monitor bear activity in the area.
Three days later, National Park Service employees euthanized a 400 pound black bear spotted near the attack site. After putting the bear down they tested its DNA and discovered it didn't match bear saliva found on Veeder's belongings.
"I was sick to hear that the wrong bear was euthanized, but I trust that the Park Service is doing the best they can," Veeder answer to a person that commented on his blog.
Park officials are urging everyone to be cautious while hiking, camping, and picnicking to protect bears and themselves. A park release noted black bears in the park are wild and unpredictable. And although attacks on humans are rare, it does sometimes happen.