Quote:
Originally Posted by DoubleF
If the spray was not discharged, I assume it was some form of being rapidly cornered away from their supplies and/or surprised by the bear.
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This is the likely event. They notified their friend they were okay and setting up camp, being unable to make it to the spot they were hoping to. There was no time mentioned, but it's safe to deduce that perhaps they tried to go as long as they could, giving themselves enough time to set up camp before dark (around 8:00). But the weather that day was cold (Banff was +3C), cloudy, raining (or even snowing), and likely breezy. Looking at the radar, rain was in the area. With clouds, darkness would have been around 7 like you say, or even earlier if in tree cover. Given the conditions, it's highly likely they were trying to warm up in the tent. The only question is, they mentioned the foot was stored properly (assuming up a tree), so perhaps they were eating in the tent while the rest of the food was stored away? With the conditions outside, they may have had minimal warning the bear was approaching and one person was able to use the bear spray while the other was being focused on. There was no way they could likely run.