The kind of traffic stop that I can get behind.
Traffic jams are the worst, am I right? There’s nothing more infuriating than getting set back a couple of minutes – or a couple of hours – out on the open road. Most of the time, you don’t ever really know why all of the cars in front of your were stopped in the first place. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said, “All of that just because of an exit?” out loud while I’m driving.
Typically, I can hold the road rage at bay. And I’d like to think that doing so would be made that much more easier if it was wildlife that was to blame. I know wholeheartedly that I’ve never stopped to admire the hundreds of cars in front of me. But I’d bet I’d be more welcoming (or at least more tolerable) of the traffic if I was parked on the highway because I was watching a grizzly bear at full sprint speed galloping across the road.
Animal-induced traffic is more common than you think. If you don’t believe me, you are welcome to check into this never-ending stream of pronghorn migrating across a roadway, or feel free to watch this video of a parade of elk running across a Montana highway. When you live out in the nature, you’re obviously more likely to cross paths with it. Or in this case, have your path stopped.
It wasn’t like this grizzly plopped down on the road and caused a backup. Rather, the wild animal was running with such pace that the driver of the car couldn’t help but slow it down and take the moment in.
In case you didn’t know, grizzly bears – though they might look a little “chunky” – can run like the wind. They are the fastest of the eight bear species, and have been known to top out at a speed of 35 miles per hour. There are even videos out there of grizzlies keeping up with cars that are going 40 miles per hour. They’ve got very sneaky speed, and a whole lot of stamina to go with it.
Though 35 miles per hour is typically their topping out speed, they can maintain 25 to 30 miles per hour for miles at a time. So if they are going after a meal (like they might be in this footage), they can maintain a certain pace and tire out whatever they are chasing. They truly are an apex predator, and as you’ll see in this video below, they can cover a whole lot of ground in a short amount of time.
When it comes to exactly why the grizzly bear was running across the plains of Montana, the social media user who took the video and later posted it had an idea:
“Running like it was late for supper.”
That’s fast, and it still seemed like the bear could have kicked it into another gear if it wanted to.
It’s truly a beautiful sight, and let this be a reminder for anyone out in bear country… you cannot, under any circumstance, outrun a grizzly (nor should you try). Always have bear spray if you are going into the great outdoors and think there’s even the slightest chance of seeing a grizzly. And you know what the best method is to avoid grizzly encounters?
Staying at least 100 yards away from them.
