A hiker asks for help on camera at Fat Bear Week after getting lost in Alaska’s Katmai National Park.
- The unidentified hiker was spotted on camera by viewers eager to spot bears on September 5.
- In the footage, he can be seen saying the words “lost” and “help.”
- Viewers alerted Explore.org, which organizes Fat Bear Week, and a team was sent to rescue the hiker.
A panicked hiker stranded on a remote Alaska mountain range was rescued after viewers watching a Fat Bear Week camera called authorities to report he was asking for help.
The unidentified hiker was spotted by the camera installed on Dumpling Mountain in Katmai National Park on September 5, and although there was no sound, he could be seen saying the words “lost” and ” help” repeatedly.
“There is someone in distress on camera,” one viewer posted in the comments of Explore.org’s live webcam.
Explore.org staff then notified their partners at the National Park Service.
Mike Fitz, Explore.org resident naturalist and creator of Fat Bear Week, said: “The park sent a search and rescue team to find the hiker, who was caught in windy and rainy conditions with poor visibility.
“Park rangers found the hiker a few hours later, unharmed, and brought him back to safety.”
The unidentified hiker was spotted by the camera installed on Dumpling Mountain in Katmai National Park on September 5, and although there was no sound, he could be seen saying the words “lost” and ” help” repeatedly.
The unidentified hiker was spotted by the camera installed on Dumpling Mountain in Katmai National Park on September 5 and, although there is no sound, he could be seen saying the words “lost” and ” help” repeatedly.
Viewers then saw a team of rangers emerge from the fog, locate the hiker and help him down the mountain.
“The weather up there was really bad that day… visibility about 50 feet and the weather at the top of the mountain is often much worse than what you find on the other side of the river (Brooks) ” Fitz said.
The hike from Brooks Camp requires 800 feet of elevation gained over 1.5 miles and there is no cell service in the area. The mountain also lacks adequate shelter and food.
Cameras are now once again focused on brown bears along the Brooks River for the Fat Bear Week tournament.
Katmai National Park is known for hosting the Fat Bear Week tournament, in which viewers vote each year for the fattest brown bear in the park before the hibernation season.
Katmai National Park is known for hosting the Fat Bear Week tournament, in which viewers vote each year for the fattest brown bear in the park before the hibernation season.
Many bear lovers have already logged in to observe the bears in their natural habitat on Dumpling Mountain and decide who to vote for.
With Fat Bear Week 2023 set to begin in early October, many bear lovers have already logged in to observe the bears in their natural habitat on Dumpling Mountain and decide who to vote for.
Over the years, Fat Bear Week has become so popular that viewers increasingly access the video stream throughout the year on Explore.org.
