Emilie's jobs

Emilie will be doing a rotation of various tasks, changing daily. They include the following locations:

Fishcreek campground - they have a projector, would do evening presentation with powerpoint

West Glacier visitors center - behind desk answering questions etc. for 3 hours

Atgar campground - like Fishcreek, but no projector

Macdonald lodge - evening presentation, with projector

Lake Macdonald - guided boat tour

Fire trail - guided tour; the trail is like a divider between the side of the forrest that was burned to the ground in 2003 (man-caused and natural) and the side that wasn't

Biodiversity trail - guided tour

Trail of the cedars - guided tour

Logan pass (another visitors center) - drive 1.5 hrs with park vehicle to get there - similar task as West Glacier visitors center

I also learned from her that they had training of how to respond to bear attacks.

She got a bear spray which is similar to a pepper spray but much stronger. She will wear it on her belt during all tours. It has a safety pin like a fire extinguisher and once you pull it out it is rather easy to push the button that releases the spray.

The spray has a reach of 30ft. She also mentioned that you should only use it when a bear is charging you. So no spraying pre-emptively!

There is around 1 bear attack a year at Glacier, but usually not fatal. Most often, the victim of the attack was doing something on the trail which you shouldn't, like jogging. If you jog and you come around a bend, the bear will be surprised (not in a good way) and start charging. It is best to walk on the trail and make occasional sounds to warn any bears in the area of your approach so they won't be startled.

Visitors coming to Glacier will receive this information at the visitors center.

Stay tuned for more updates on how Emilie is doing!

-Joachim