Battle on Mount Grinnell: Hiker’s Paradise

Summary

Real Survival Stories – "Battle on Mount Grinnell: Hiker’s Paradise"

Podcast: Real Survival Stories (Noiser)
Host: John Hopkins
Guest: Johan Otter
Date: April 8, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this gripping episode, John Hopkins narrates the harrowing story of Johan Otter and his 18-year-old daughter, Jenna, who were brutally attacked by a mother grizzly bear while hiking Glacier National Park’s Grinnell Glacier Trail in 2005. The episode explores the immediate chaos and desperation of the attack, the strength of the bond between father and daughter, and the extraordinary will to survive. Through candid interviews and immersive storytelling, listeners gain a raw, firsthand account of the physical and emotional endurance required to come through one of nature’s deadliest encounters.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene

• Time and Place: August 25, 2005, early morning, Glacier National Park, Montana.
• Atmosphere: Described as a “hiker’s paradise,” with wild beauty and potential danger from wildlife like bears and mountain lions.
• Immediate Tension: The first narrative images: a deserted trail, scuff marks, and bloodstains set a foreboding stage ([00:49]).

2. The Hiking Dynamic

• Johan and Jenna’s Bond: Both physically fit, share a passion for hiking, and schedule two ambitious day hikes in one day ([07:10]).
• Johan’s Background: From a tough childhood in Amsterdam to emigrating to the US, developing resilience and a love of wilderness ([11:53], [13:50]).

3. Bear Encounter and Attack

Build-Up

• Trail Descent & False Security: As they gain elevation, the path narrows, and vigilance fades ([16:56]).
• The Unseen Threat: Johan: “…big rock on the right and then there’s this rock kind of sticking out onto the trail. The trail then takes a bend right behind that rock. You can’t see behind it.” ([19:20])

Attack Sequence

• First Contact: Jenna freezes. Johan instinctively shields her. Suddenly, “two hazel eyes” are staring at him—a mother grizzly ([20:10], [21:07]).
• Quote:
  • Johan: “From seeing that animal to impact was 0.2 to 0.7 of a second… bam. And I have an animal in my upper thigh.” ([21:07])
• Survival Decision: Johan, boxed in, jumps off the trail to draw the bear away from Jenna ([24:52]).
• Quote:
  • “I jumped off the trail to say, okay, I need to kind of save myself right now. Into the bushes.” ([24:52])

Ongoing Battle

• Bear Follows: Despite the fall, the bear comes after him. Johan curls up with his backpack for protection, intent on keeping the attention on himself to save his daughter ([27:13]).
• Second Fall: Johan grabs the bear and pulls it off another ledge—falling together around 35ft ([28:24]).
• Quote:
  • “I remember looking at [the bear] straight in the eyes… the only thing those eyes were telling me is like, I’m going to take you out.” ([29:27])
• Head Injury: The bear goes for Johan’s head, and he describes the horrifying sensation of teeth entering his scalp ([30:54]).
• Quote:
  • “Felt a tooth going in on the right hand side. Said, okay, that’s not good. And then I saw a tooth going in on the left hand side in the bottom of my scalp.” ([30:54])

Jenna’s Ordeal

• Jenna faints and falls off the trail while struggling with bear spray ([31:26]). She hides in bushes and plays dead when the bear approaches, which ultimately saves her life ([34:25], [38:32]).

4. After the Attack: Survival Instincts and Waiting for Help

• Assessment: Johann details his grisly injuries: exposed skull, hanging scalp, vision in one eye gone ([03:04], [37:22]).
• Quote:
  • “I have all these things hanging in front of my face… that must be my scalp. And I’m feeling bone on top of my head … that’s not good.” ([03:04], [37:42])
• Reassurance: Moment of relief when Jenna calls back to her father after the attack ([38:20]).
• Improvised First Aid: Johan uses a nylon jacket to staunch bleeding from his head ([39:57]).
• Endurance: They scream for help for over 45 minutes until hikers locate them. Johan is struck by how others risked safety to help ([41:13]).
• Quote:
  • “I see this man sliding down the mountain… his eyes were wide open, like you’ve never seen anything like that before.” ([41:13])

5. Rescue and Recovery

• Emergency Response: Park rangers mount a difficult rescue; Johan is losing blood rapidly ([42:20], [42:32]).
• Humor as Coping: Johan tries to lighten the mood for a distraught ranger ([43:07]).
• Hospital Realities:
  • Jenna: broken back, lacerations, serious bite and facial gash.
  • Johan: multiple fractures, severely damaged eye, 60–80% of scalp torn away. The nylon jacket saves him from bleeding out ([43:30], [44:34]).
• Quote:
  • “That nylon actually created a mesh… to basically stop me bleeding out.” ([44:34])
• Support System: Johan credits not just physical fitness but emotional support as crucial to recovery ([45:51]).
• Quote:
  • “You may survive, but do you really thrive and survive? And that only happens when you have all the support in the world around you.” ([45:51])

6. Life After the Attack

• Both make remarkable recoveries and return to hiking—though now always keep bear spray accessible ([46:12]). Their relationship grows stronger, their scars becoming symbols of resilience ([46:56]).
• Reflection:
  • “You’re incredibly appreciative of all the help you got… it’s a different relationship with life at that point.” ([46:56])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• Johan, on seeing his wounds after the attack:
  “I have all these things hanging in front of my face. What is that… that must be my scalp… feeling bone on top of my head… that’s not good…” ([03:04], [37:42])

• On the bear’s intent:
  “I remember looking at straight in the eyes… the only thing those eyes were telling me is like, ‘I’m going to take you out because you’re annoying me right now, basically.’” ([29:27])

• On the parent’s horror:
  “That scream. As a parent, it’s the worst noise you can possibly hear.” ([04:25], [35:05])

• On coping with trauma:
  “You don’t want to get down the spiral of despair, right?… I love humor. We may have to make humor sometimes about the most terrible things that are happening in order to process it in a different way.” ([43:07])

• On surviving and thriving:
  “You may survive, but do you really thrive and survive? And that only happens when you have all the support in the world around you.” ([45:51])

• Reflecting on gratitude:
  “Your fear of death has changed… All that matters is that I’m alive, my daughter’s alive… And yeah, just incredibly grateful to everything and everyone around us. That’s the main thing.” ([46:56])

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Key Timestamps

• Early Attack Build-up: [00:49]–[05:53]
• Background & Hiking Dynamic: [07:10]–[14:26]
• Bear Emerges and Initial Attack: [20:10]–[25:18]
• Main Battle & Falls: [27:13]–[32:53]
• Jenna's Ordeal & Parent’s Anguish: [33:55]–[35:05]
• Immediate Survival & First Aid: [37:22]–[40:13]
• Help Arrives: [41:13]
• Rescue & Hospital: [43:30]–[44:34]
• Aftermath and Reflection: [45:51]–[47:46]

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Conclusion

"Battle on Mount Grinnell" is a raw, unflinching account of survival against the odds—a story not just of escaping a bear attack, but of parenting, resilience, and the will to fight for those you love. Johan Otter’s candid recollections, emotional honesty, and wry humor make this one of Real Survival Stories’ most powerful episodes. The experience leaves both survivors—and listeners—forever changed.

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Transcript

[Johan Otter]

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[Narrator]

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[Johan Otter]

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[Narrator]

It's early on August 25, 2005 Puffy white clouds dot the blue sky above Glacier national park in northwest Montana. A light wind blows through the treetops, carrying the scent of pine and resin on the breeze. The verdant slopes are strewn with wildflowers, and sunlight glints off the pristine lakes and ancient glaciers which pepper this immense, dazzling stretch of wilderness. With more than 700 miles of trails, the park is a hiker's paradise, welcoming millions of people each year, all keen to experience its magnificent scenery and wildlife, which includes a host of bird and insect species. But not all of the creatures here are harmless. Large, hulking mammals like mountain lions, bears and even elk can pose a threat. Trackers must remain vigilant. Right now it's still so early in the morning that the trails are all but deserted. But on the narrow, twisting route cut into the side of Mount Grinnell, scree and stones have been dislodged, and there are scuff marks in the dirt. Patches of nearby brush have been flattened, twigs and branches splintered by some sort of impact. Someone or something has been here recently. Near a large boulder jutting out into the trail, a pool of blood seeps into the dust, still wet and glistening in the sunlight. More streaks of scarlet stain the craggy cliff that falls away from the trail towards the surface of Grinnell Lake. Below and on a small, jagged ledge overlooking the valley is 43 year old Johann Otter. His back is pressed against the cold, hard surface of the rock face. Below him is a sheer drop of 1500ft. His body is bruised and lacerated, his flesh is torn in countless places, and his skin is slick with his own blood.

[Johan Otter]

You're like, oh my gosh, I have all these things hanging in front of my face. What is that? And my right eye, I can't see out of my right eye. And then I have these strings hanging. I'm like, oh, that must be my scalp. And I'm feeling bone on top of my head. Oh, bone, bone, bone. I'm like, oh, that's not good. And so I'm kind of assessing myself and there's blood everywhere.

[Narrator]

But incredibly, Johann's physical trauma isn't his biggest concern right now. Nor is the yawning, deadly drop stretching out beneath him. His biggest concern is in fact, on the cliff top above. Suddenly, a deep low roar echoes around the empty landscape. A hair raising animalistic bellow. It's followed by a woman's scream, then silence. Johan's heart clenches at the sounds. Icy fingers of terror skittering across his battered body. Somewhere on the rocks above him is his 18 year old daughter, Jenna. But in his current condition, he can't reach her. And up there with her is the fierce beast responsible for his own injuries. If it gets to Jenna, it could tear her apart. And it seems there is nothing Johan can do

[Johan Otter]

that scream. As a parent, it's the worst noise you can possibly hear.

[Narrator]

Ever wondered what you would do when disaster strikes? If your life depended on your next decision, could you make the right choice? Welcome to Real Survival Stories. These are the astonishing tales of ordinary people thrown into extraordinary situations. People suddenly forced to fight for their lives. In this episode we meet Johan Otter. In 2005, the physiotherapist and his daughter are enjoying an ambitious hike in Glacier national park to celebrate her graduation from high school. But when they accidentally stumble upon a wild, dangerous beast determined to protect its young, everything changes in an instant.

[Johan Otter]

I remember looking at straight in the eyes and I had two hazel eyes and the only thing those eyes were telling me is like, I'm going to take you out.

[Narrator]

Desperate to save his daughter from a hideous death, Johan confronts the animal, hoping he might buy Jenna enough time to escape. Locked in a brutal battle, he and the beast go head to head, each willing to sacrifice their own lives in order to protect their offspring.

[Johan Otter]

It just kind of was pulling at me, it was biting at me everywhere. And then it started really going for my head.

[Narrator]

I'm John Hopkins from the Noiser Podcast Network. This is Real Survival Stories. It's early morning on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2005 in northwest Montana near the U.S. canadian border. The sky above Glacier national park is pale and streaked with dawn light. The air is still and cool. Morning dew clings to the pine trees around an unremarkable wood clad motor lodge in the east of the park near the placid shores of Swift Current Lake. Inside the lodge, people are slowly Stirring, stretching limbs stiff from hiking and making their bleary eyed way to breakfast. But in the car park, 43 year old Johann Otter and his 18 year old daughter Jenna are already heading for their pickup truck. They have an ambitious schedule and they want to beat the crowds.

[Johan Otter]

Our plan for the day was to go hike to Grinnell Glacier for the first half of the day and then go to Iceberg Lake the second half of the day. And anyone who's familiar with Glacier national park, you know that those are day hikes. So we were planning to do two day hikes in one day. Crazy.

[Narrator]

Though Johan wanted to set off at daybreak, his daughter had insisted they keep office hours. After all, the park's 1500 square miles are home to a large number of potentially dangerous animals including black bears, grizzlies, elk, lynx and mountain lions. The majority of these creatures are most active in the late evening and early morning, so it's best not to push their luck. After some argument, they reach a compromise. They will set off at 7.30am For Johan, this is a lion back home in Escondido, California. He wakes before 3am every weekday so he can check the news, run at least five miles and return home to shower and change before getting to work. By six, Jenna is equally fit, being a keen and talented dancer and as avid a hiker as her father. Outside the motor lodge, Johan loads his backpack into the truck. It contains all the essentials they should need for the hike ahead, including snacks, water, pepper spray and camera equipment. He and Jenna climb into their vehicle and set off, admiring the landscape as they drive.

[Johan Otter]

It had snowed the day before, so there was a lot of water everywhere, but it's really pretty, you know, when you get snow basically in the summer and then it clears up the next day, it's pretty awesome.

[Narrator]

They pull into the car park at Grinnell Glacier trailhead. There is only one other vehicle there, meaning they will be among the first to walk this popular route today. Clearly the early start has paid off. Johan swings his rucksack onto his shoulders and locks the truck. Then he and Jenna head into the trees. It isn't long before they're deep in the forest and civilization seems to melt away. Pale sunlight filters down through the pines and aspens which border the trail, making dappled shadows dance across the ground. As they follow the winding path deeper into the forest, they discuss their plans for the rest of their two week trip. It's been a long time coming. Johan, his wife and their two daughters first explored this area when the girls were Just children. And they were immediately enchanted by the park's landscape wildlife.

[Johan Otter]

For the first time. I saw a grizzly bear right in the distance right there. I'm like, this is amazing. You could just see all these animals right here. And then there's mountain goats right there too. I was just enormous and so was my daughter. And we both like, we need to come back here one of these days.

[Narrator]

A decade on from that family trip, Jenna has graduated high school and is one of the top achievers in her class. In celebration, she, she and Johan have arranged this two week hiking trip throughout various national parks within the Rocky Mountains. By the time they get to Glacier, they've already completed several hikes in the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. And they're feeling up for a challenge. Their love of hiking is one of the things that binds Johan and Jenna. It's an integral aspect of their relationship. And with Jenna heading to university in September, this may be their last opportunity to make such a trip for a while.

[Johan Otter]

Jenna is a typical a student to the point that I guess she was reading the theory of Relativity from Einstein, because I bought that book for her when she was like seven or something like that. I'm like, you actually read that? And her teacher made fun of her. It's like you really need a dictionary just to know all the different words. Incredibly bright, but also a beautiful dancer. So she was both an artist as well as an intellectual individual. And it's not like she tries to be a standout. She just is. I mean, she's just amazing.

[Narrator]

Blessed with many gifts, Jenna has also had a charmed childhood growing up in the family home where Johan breeds exotic birds and grows fruit in their 1.3 acres of arable land. It's a very different upbringing from the one her Dutch father had in Amsterdam when he was a toddler. Johan's parents were forced to sell everything they owned after discovering their business partner had huge tax debts.

[Johan Otter]

We ended up from being pretty well to do to dirt poor and dirt poor. Living in Amsterdam on the highway basically. And that's how I grew up. I mean, I remember getting my first new shoes when I was like 10. It was a big deal and you know, clothes were always hand me downs. But if you're a kid, especially if you're a boy, I mean, you're like, you know, you're in dirt the time anyway, you care less. And so it was kind of a, an interesting childhood, just roaming the streets of Amsterdam, playing in the water. I can't imagine what kind of chemicals I played with as a kid. Right. And so it makes you a bit more resilient.

[Narrator]

Johan's childhood was tough, and he was quickly forced to learn how to protect himself and his younger brother from bullies.

[Johan Otter]

I still have that real sense of fairness needs to happen to everyone. That rougher part, as a little kid does prepare you that, yeah, things happen, you get injured sometimes just, you know, walk it off.

[Narrator]

But then things changed. By the time Johan was a teenager, his parents had amassed enough savings to escape the city, moving into a little

[Johan Otter]

village in the middle of Holland. It was completely 180 for me. In school, all you wanted to do is basically have friends and survive to the next day. Learning wasn't really the thing, and now I came into an environment where they're incredibly motivating to learn. And so I went from bottom of the class to top of the class within a year. And it kind of set me up for my future to say, hey, I can actually achieve something more than what I thought I could.

[Narrator]

At 17, Johann started training to become a physiotherapist. After four years of studying, he qualified but struggled to get a job because of high unemployment rates. Searching for work, he emigrated to the United States in his early 20s and instantly fell in love with its wild, primordial landscape. Hiking became a true passion, one he now shares with his daughter.

[Johan Otter]

When you come to the us especially on the western side, it is incredible. It is so beautiful in the Netherlands, I mean, the last true forest was cut down in the 1920s or something like that. So there wasn't that kind of an environment. Right. And especially in the us, when you have the environment of basically being close to what it used to be, you got predators, stuff that's dangerous, and it adds a certain element of interest, and you want to see more and more and more of that.

[Narrator]

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[Narrator]

In less than an hour, Johan and Jenna have made it out of the woods. Now, above the tree line, the views are spectacular. To their left, sweeping slopes of rock and greenery fall away into valleys carpeted with trees. To their right, the mountain's jagged walls of brown gray rock rise into the blue arc of the sky. The air is clean and fresh, lightly tinged with the scent of pine. As Jenna and Johan progress, the sun rises higher, banishing the early morning chill. Johan stops frequently to film the views or take photos. Bounding ahead, his daughter tries to chivy him along, reminding him that they have another hike to complete this afternoon. Being experienced in the wild, they know to talk loudly, making noise so as to let any large animals know they're coming. But as they progress, the trail becomes narrower and they have to watch their footing to avoid tumbling down hundreds of feet of rock and brush. It seems unlikely any animal would want to linger in this cramped, confined section of the path they can let their guard down a little. In the distance, snow capped mountains and glaciers watch impassively over the landscape. Apart from the odd snippet of conversation, the only noise comes from a gentle breeze and the chime of water trickling into the valley. Soon the vivid turquoise surface of Grinell Lake comes into view and Johan and Jenna fall silent, lost in awe at the breathtaking beauty all around them.

[Johan Otter]

That particular part of the trail is probably one of the narrowest parts with the biggest drop to the left and you can see Grinnell Glacier Lake. It's a beautiful, that beautiful glacier blue. Down in the valley,

[Narrator]

spotting a golden eagle, Johan takes out his camera, ready to film the bird as it soars, elegant and weightless through the air. Ahead, Jenna is making progress along the narrow, scree laden trail, determined to complete both hikes before the light fades. In front of her, a large rock juts out into the path.

[Johan Otter]

Blue is a pretty skinny trail. There's a big drop off on your left hand side, there's a big wall of a rock on the right hand side. Rock walls, obviously they're not, you know, polished and neat. I mean, there's all kinds of stuff sticking out of them and the trail isn't straight. The trail always winds up because it's an easy way to get a trail to go up a mountain. So when we're walking up, you got this big rock on the right and then there's this rock kind of sticking out onto the trail. And the trail then takes a bend right behind that rock. You can't see behind it.

[Narrator]

Johan packs away his camera and runs to catch Jenna up, reaching her just before she steps forward to make her way around the large jagged outcropping. Then she stops dead, frozen by something behind the rock, out of Johan's view.

[Johan Otter]

At that point Jenna stepped back and said something like, oh no. And as a dad, right behind her I'm like, something's wrong here. You know, you just get this natural instinct of I need to step in front of my daughter. Kind of like what you do when your kid's sitting next to you in the car and you have to break real fast and you kind of reach your arm out, kind of that same instinct of like I need to step in front of my daughters. There's something there. I had no clue what that thing that she was worried about was.

[Narrator]

Then everything seems to happen at once. Johan moves in front of his daughter as she turns and runs, stumbling in her haste to get away. The source of her panic quickly becomes clear on the path Ahead of Johan, just a few feet away, two hazel eyes stare out of a mass of muscle and coarse fur. Suddenly the beast growls and runs towards him. Johan and Jenna have walked straight into a grizzly bear.

[Johan Otter]

From seeing that animal to impact was 0.2 to 0.7 of a second. And so it's just like bam. And I have an animal in my upper thigh. K Pop Demon Hunters Saja Boys Breakfast Meal and Hunt Trick's meal have just dropped at McDonald's. They're calling this a battle for the fans. What do you say to that, Rumi? It's not a battle. So glad the Saja boys could take

[Narrator]

breakfast and give our meal the rest of the day.

[Johan Otter]

It is an honor to share. No, it's our honor. It is our larger honor. No, really stop. You can really, really feel the respect in this battle. Pick a meal to pick a side. Participating McDonald's while supplies last. Most people would rather assemble a 300 piece cabinet than search for insurance. That's why the zebra searches for you. Comparing over 100 insurance companies to find savings no one else can compare. Today@the zebra.com.

[Narrator]

It's summer on the Grinnell Trail in Glacier National Park, Montana. Sunlight sparkles off the turquoise waters of Grinnell Lake and a light breeze moves through the air, making the trees rustle and sway. But not all is peaceful in this wild part of North America. On a cliff edge above the lake, Johann otter is under attack. A manic rush of claws and fangs and muscle as the hiker does what he can to protect his daughter from the savagery of an angry grizzly. The bear isn't attacking because of hunger or territory. It is something much worse, much more dangerous. This is a mother bear with two small cubs. And she will protect her offspring with everything she has. But Johan hasn't seen the cubs. He hasn't even had a chance to process what's going on. It's all happened so fast, it didn't

[Johan Otter]

even register that was a bear. My whole natural thing from being from Europe came into me. And kind of the worst things we have in middle Europe is badgers, right? I'm like, huh, That's a mean old badger. And time at that point stood still. Then of course, the realization starts sitting in. Well, a badger isn't that big. It can't reach that high. And you kind of look down and you start to realize, oh, that's not good. And then it attacked again. Bam. Back in my thigh again. And at that point you're like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute. That's a bear.

[Narrator]

The creature clamps down on Johan, serrating skin and flesh. There's no more time for confusion. He needs to react fast. Before entering the park, Johan took the precaution to pack bear spray in his rucksack. But it's safely stowed in a side pocket, one he can't reach without taking off the pack. Unworkable. Right now, blood is pouring out of the bite wounds in his thigh and his front is unprotected. If the bear bites at his stomach, she could rupture his vital organs.

[Johan Otter]

If it goes anywhere further up my body, it's going to go into my stomach, I'll be toast.

[Narrator]

Unable to risk going backwards and leading the bear to Jenna, Johan is trapped between a jagged wall of rock to his right and a steep drop to his left. Before him, the grizzly roars, opening her mouth to reveal rows of fangs. The only option is something drastic. And so he prepares to hurl himself off the the ledge.

[Johan Otter]

At this point, you're like, oh, no, this is going to kill me in a moment. So. And this is kind of where my, you know, playing around with my brother in Amsterdam came back. It's like, I can jump off this ledge right here. I can fall in those bushes, you know, about 25, 30ft down there, no big deal. So I just basically jumped off the trail to say, okay, I need to kind of save myself right now. Into the bushes

[Narrator]

for a second. Johann is weightless as he flings himself over the edge. Then he lands hard on his back and his side, the impact jolting through him as rocks and stones dig into his body. He lies there in the bristly bushes, not moving.

[Johan Otter]

It's really weird. You go from this really violent thing to nothing, complete silence. So the juxtaposition of this is bizarre in your mind, and then you're like, well, wait a minute, wait, wait, I'm by myself. This makes no sense. Jen is still on the trail. I need to bring this beer back to me.

[Narrator]

Johan looks up but cannot see his daughter. As it happens, she is not far along the trail and the bear's sights are now turned onto her. She looks down to see that her father's bear spray has fallen out of his backpack. In the chaos, shaking, she reaches down to quickly grab the small red canister. But she can't undo the safety catch. Shock and fear are making her fingers clumsy. She fumbles with the spray as the grizzly suddenly races straight for her. And just then, from 30ft below, Johan yells out to his daughter, telling her to Jump off the trail and join him in the bushes. The yell catches the attention of the bear.

[Johan Otter]

I see this bear turning its head when I yelled and kind of like in those weird sci fi movies, that something moves from here to there, like suddenly, right? That's how it felt. Like this animal moved like lightning. Quite honestly, just back on top of me.

[Narrator]

Johan has just enough time to scramble into the fetal position before the bear reaches him. He curls his body around, trying to protect his vital organs, and places his hands over the back of his head. The bear's powerful jaws latch onto his backpack and she begins thrashing him back and forth, driven by a fierce instinct to protect her cubs from this perceived threat. At over 6ft tall and weighing more than 80 kilos, Johan is not a small man. But this mother grizzly weighs double that, if not more, and she flings him around like a toy. It's lucky he has his rucksack to protect him.

[Johan Otter]

Jenna has no backpack on. If this animal does to her back what it's doing to my backpack right now, she's dead. So at that point I decided this animal needs to stay with me.

[Narrator]

Johan rips himself free from the bear's teeth and rolls across the dusty stone strewn ground, leaving smears of dark blood in his wake. The beast is back on top of him in a second. Instinctively, his right hand closes around the shaggy dark fur of the grizzly's throat.

[Johan Otter]

I'm like, you know, we're going down the mountain together. And I pulled it down and together we fell about 35ft. And if you see the pictures of where I fell as this rock, shoot. I mean, a fall like that by itself should kind of kill you, right? And so for whatever reason, it felt kind of good to fall, not to have something on top of you like that. The moment I was at the bottom of that chute, I'm on my back and I got a bear in my hands.

[Narrator]

Loose boulders and scree tumble down the slope before Johan and the bear finally land on a solid platform and come to a stop. In desperation, he reaches his left hand out, scrabbling for a rock, a branch, anything to hit the bear with. His fingers close around a piece of shale, but it crumbles to dust in his hand. He looks up at the dark looming form of the animal above him. His hold on her fur seems so insignificant in comparison with the grizzly's strength and bulk.

[Johan Otter]

It felt like I was pinching it, like I was holding onto it, but it felt like a little pinch, right? Because you get this huge animal that's just all muscle and you're holding onto it with your right hand. Well, that animal isn't so happy with you at that point, right, because you just pulled it down. So I'm holding onto it and I remember looking at straight in the eyes and I had two hazel eyes, right? And the only thing those eyes were telling me is like, I'm going to take you out because you're annoying me right now, basically.

[Narrator]

Johan quickly lets go of the bear and curls back into the fetal position, once again placing his hands over his head.

[Johan Otter]

Now I had a really, really angry bear on top of me and for the next couple of minutes it just kind of was pulling at me. It was biting at me everywhere. And then it started really going for my head.

[Narrator]

The bear's claws swipe across his face, gouging his flesh. Warm blood runs down his arms. Johan's grip on reality starts to slip.

[Johan Otter]

I remember kind of imagining or looking down on myself that I was the director of a movie, seeing this happening to my stomach. Stuntman and oh my gosh, my stuntman's getting hurt. We need to help him. So you go through this whole surreal way of thinking.

[Narrator]

Suddenly a sharp crack brings him back into his body, accompanied by strange deep pressure somewhere around his skull.

[Johan Otter]

Felt a tooth going in on the right hand side. Said, okay, that's not good. And then I saw a tooth going in on the left hand side in the bottom of my scalp.

[Narrator]

His head is fully pinned within the animal's powerful jaws. It snaps everything back into full focus.

[Johan Otter]

You get back into yourself and you're like, darn, I need to do something. And so at that point, like, okay, I think I've taken this animal down far enough for my daughter. I think she's been able to get away by now. I need to think about myself at this point because if I'm dead, I'm not going to be of much more help to her anyway.

[Narrator]

Surely by now Jenna has run to a safe distance. Johan braces himself to escape the bear's clutches and roll further down the mountain. But in fact, his daughter isn't yet out of danger. When the animal ran at Jenna as she was wrestling with the bear spray, she fainted and fell off the edge. She awoke mid fall just seconds before her lower back and head slammed into the ground on a rocky ledge below the trail. Her fall has brought her straight back into danger. Now within sight of Johan and the bear, she has managed to scramble under some bushes and curl into a ball as her father's screams boom around the slopes. But Johan doesn't know any of this. He doesn't know how close his daughter is to the animal. With his life hanging by a thread, he has little choice but to try and escape once more. He wrenches his skull free of the bear's jaws and jerks away, then tumbles 25ft down another rock chute. The sharp cragged terrain batters his body as he slides. He careers to a standstill, his back pressed against the cliffside. Caught on a tiny ledge, is stopped just in time.

[Johan Otter]

Looking down, it's like, well, the next fall is going to be death for sure. Because it was like hundreds of feet, if not a thousand feet.

[Narrator]

Turning away from the stomach churning drop below, Johan twists to look back towards the huge bulk of the bear looming over him from the cliffside above. If she decides to come after him, they're likely both full to their deaths. Johann has had enough.

[Johan Otter]

At that point I was getting pissed off. I'm like, you know what? I'm done with this playing that thing. If you come any closer, I'm going to kick you off the mountain. As if you can. You can't do that. But you have this unreal type of thinking.

[Narrator]

The bear and the man stare at each other, each assessing the other's next move. The chute Johan threw himself down is steep. There's no easy way for the grizzly to reach him. And with her two young cubs left alone on the trail above, she won't come any further. After a few seconds she turns and moves away.

[Johan Otter]

And that's actually when the worst thing of the attack happened. Sorry, because at that point it turned away. But I hadn't realized that Jenna had actually semi fainted maybe. And she ended up falling. She fell to the same ledge that I had pulled the bear to. So instead of thinking I took the bear away from her, I actually took the bear to her.

[Narrator]

Hiding under the bush, Jenna freezes as the mother bear nears. The animal has to pass her in order to return to her cubs. The bear's panting grows louder with every step she takes towards Jenna and her heavy earthy scent fills the air. When the grizzly gets within touching distance of her, she instinctively puts her hands out to protect herself and push the beast away. The bear lunges and Jenna screams. The sound shatters across the mountainside. Down on the ledge, Johan's breath catches in his throat.

[Johan Otter]

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[Narrator]

Trapped on a tiny rocky shelf overlooking the valley, Johan lies there, torn to shreds, blood staining the rough surfaces around him. But his physical pain is nothing compared with the fear that courses through him above. His daughter Jen is directly in the path of the bear, and he is helpless to reach her.

[Johan Otter]

It's a tough thing because you're in a position that you thought, you know, I could, I'm saving my daughter here. But she still gets hurt, right? It's really tough.

[Narrator]

As a parent, Jenna's scream was painful enough, but the silence that follows is almost worse. It's unclear if the bear has left or not, and so Johan doesn't dare call out to his daughter yet, a fear of drawing the animal back towards them. Time drags by. As he waits, he begins to better assess his own injuries.

[Johan Otter]

You're like, oh my gosh, I have all these things hanging in front of my face. What is that? My right eye? I can't see out of my right eye.

[Narrator]

It is swollen shut and caked with dirt and blood. Prising the eyelids open, he finds he can still make out the turquoise surface of Grinnell Lake in the valley below.

[Johan Otter]

I could still see. I'm like, okay, whatever is wrong with this, I'm sure a little surgery can fix that. And then I have these strings hanging. I'm like, oh, that must be my scalp. And I'm feeling bone on top of my head. Oh, bone, bone, bone. I'M like, oh, that's not good.

[Narrator]

As the seconds crawl past, still no sound comes from the trail above. The waiting becomes intolerable. After a couple more minutes, Johan calls out Jenna's name. There is a silence before.

[Johan Otter]

So you call back, dad. So you go from the worst sound in the world to the best sound in the world in, like, two minutes.

[Narrator]

Like her dad, Jenna has been mauled. But during the attack, a split second decision to play dead seems to have saved her life. Sensing she was no longer a threat, the bear eventually let her go and returned to her cubs. Since then, she has waited in silence, too terrified to move or speak. Somehow, both Johan and Jenna are still alive, though neither is in good shape.

[Johan Otter]

I was worried because of my eye. And so, Jenna, how's your eyes? And she's like, fine, it's fine. And then she said, how are you? I said, it got me kind of bad. And that's really all I said. I didn't want to tell her exactly. You know, the stuff that was going on with me. Yeah, this got me kind of bad. And I said, how are you? She said, I'm fine. I didn't realize that when the bear had bit her, bit her into the shoulder joint and it ripped open her lip on the right side of her face. She didn't tell me and I didn't tell her how bad it was.

[Narrator]

There is no phone signal around here, and they can't be sure how long it will be before someone stumbles upon them. Their only choice is to wait and scream for help, hoping their voices will carry to the trail above. As they start to call out, Johan's attention turns to getting off the precarious ledge and rejoining Jenna. But first he has to deal with his head injuries.

[Johan Otter]

I'd read about a lady in Alaska who had taken her nylon jacket out to protect her head because she didn't want people to see how badly she was injured. I'm like, oh, that's a good idea. So I took the nylon jacket out of my backpack and I put the nylon cap, like, on top of my skull.

[Narrator]

With his bloodied scalp now covered, Johann turns stiffly and slowly towards the cliff face. Painstakingly, he begins clambering up the rock chute he tumbled down just minutes earlier.

[Johan Otter]

So I climbed up about 20ft or so, got to the ledge that I had taken the bear down to, and I got a little woozy. I'm like, oh, this is not good. I better sit down. Better just keep yelling help. And hopefully some people will hear us

[Narrator]

for the next 45 minutes, they call for aid, yelling up into the open air of the wilderness. Each second means more blood loss, more chance of infection. But then, at last, some good news. Jenna has spotted someone. She cries out. They are heard, and help is on its way.

[Johan Otter]

I see this man sliding down the mountain, which is pretty amazing what people did, right? I mean, they actually risked their own safety. They're trying to get to us because we're in this perilous place, unfortunately. And his eyes were wide open, like you've never seen anything like that before. And I'm like, oh, dear, I must look much worse than I think I look, which I did. Wouldn't even recognize myself.

[Narrator]

Johan's first question is whether Jenna is okay. The man tries to reassure him and promises that more help is on the way. His wife has run to fetch a ranger, but due to their remote location, it's likely to be some time before medical professionals arrive. Soon, other hikers appear on the trail and immediately offer assistance. When they discover what's happened, they do what they can, trying to keep Jenna and Johan as warm and comfortable as possible.

[Johan Otter]

I was very trusting in everyone around me, and as long as my daughter was okay, my situation wasn't that, you know, who cared type of thing. That was my attitude, in a way.

[Narrator]

After two hours, park rangers at last arrive and are able to perform some first aid. But Johan's injuries are so extreme, their efforts are largely futile.

[Johan Otter]

They barely could get my pulse anymore. I had lost way too much fluid. And then when they put more fluids in me, I started leaking everywhere. I had holes everywhere in my body, basically.

[Narrator]

One of the junior rangers becomes overwhelmed at the sight, tears forming in his eyes. Johan, for his part, tries to crack some jokes and keep the mood as light as he can. The levity helps the distressed young ranger, but it's a coping mechanism for Johann, too.

[Johan Otter]

You don't want to get down the spiral of despair, right? You just want to stay hopeful. When you go through terrible situations, there's two ways, right? You can either just be sulking about, or you can try to make light out of it. I love humor. You know, we make have to make humor sometimes about the most terrible things that are happening in order to kind of process it in a different way, right?

[Narrator]

It takes another four hours before a helicopter is finally able to perform a tricky rescue operation and extract Johan and Jenna from the mountainside. Once they arrive in hospital, the true extent of their injuries becomes apparent. Jenna has broken her back in two places. After her fall off the mountainside, her ankle is lacerated. She has a deep bite on her right shoulder and there is a large gash on her face. As for Johan, the bear's claw fractured his right eye socket and damaged the eye muscle. He has severe wounds across his body and he's broken multiple bones, including several vertebrae. He has also lost about half of his blood and his blood pressure has dropped dangerously low. When doctors investigate his head wounds, they find that the bear has torn away between 60 and 80% of his scalp. As it turns out, placing the nylon cap over his head prevented Johan from bleeding out on the mountainside.

[Johan Otter]

I didn't realize I was actually saving my life right there because there was a couple of arteries that were just pumping blood out and that nylon actually created a mesh that just kind of basically vacuumed down onto my head to basically stop me bleeding out.

[Narrator]

Jenna and Johan both endure a long recovery process. Johan especially undergoes a number of complex surgeries to fix his mangled eye and place a skin graft on his scalp. After that, he spends months in a halo, a type of brace used to stabilize the spine. Amazingly, though, aside from some visible scarring, both father and daughter survive without any severely life changing injuries. And despite the trauma, they do their best to resume normal life. Jenna starts university as planned and Johann is back at work four months after the attack. By 2007, he qualifies for the Boston Marathon again. Though Johan's physical fitness undoubtedly helped him survive his brutal encounter with the bear, he says it is his support network which really allowed him to regain his life afterwards.

[Johan Otter]

Being a marathon runner certainly gave me the endurance. Growing up with a great set of parents and having all the support of my friends, family and war. You may survive, but do you really thrive and survive? And that only happens when you have all the support in the world around you.

[Narrator]

As for the bear, park rangers decided her actions were a natural response to wanting to defend her cubs and it was determined she wouldn't be put down if found. For Johann and Jenna, the road to recovery isn't easy. But in the years following their run in with the grizzly, they have both returned to the site of the attack and have completed numerous hikes in glacier. Though they now always ensure their bear spray is easily accessible, now, their relationship has only grown stronger as a result of the attack. Although they will both carry the physical and emotional scars for the rest of their lives, they are able to do so with pride as symbols of their resilience and their love for each other.

[Johan Otter]

You're incredibly appreciative of all the help you got incredibly appreciative of the fact that you were as lucky as you were that your daughter is doing great. It's been an incredible journey ever since. And always incredibly thankful too, that you are where you are. You don't take things for granted anymore. Your fear of death has changed. It's not something I'm that afraid of anymore. Do I want to die? Absolutely not. I want to stay alive for as long as possible. But it's a different relationship with life at that point. Ultimately, all that matters is that I'm alive, my daughter's alive, my daughter is thriving just like I am. And yeah, just incredibly grateful to everything and everyone around us. That's the main thing.

[Narrator]

In the next episode, we tell a survival story on a truly monumental scale. A twist filled tale that spans many months and thousands of miles. In 1980, Gordon Brace and his wife Elizabeth are living in Sri Lanka when one day they meet an eccentric fisherman who invites them on the trip of a lifetime. A crossing of the Indian Ocean aboard a single engine motorboat. Recognizing an adventure when they see one, the young couple sign up and soon find themselves part of a ragtag crew of amateur sailors. But Gordon and Elizabeth will get more than they bargained for because what follows is a survival story for the ages. A three month epic of grit, daring and peril on the high seas. That's next time on REAL Survival Stories. Listen today without waiting and without ads, by joining Noiza. This episode is brought to you by Fandango. People say fans are too distracted these days, but the truth is, when a great movie hits the screen, you show up. You stay glued, invested, part of the story. And without fans like you, there'd be no cinema magic, no shared moments. So head to fandango.com to get tickets, stream or rent or buy. Top movies and series Fandango loves fans.

[Johan Otter]

There's no one like you. And there never will be. From the producer Bohemian Rhapsody There are

[Narrator]

many legends, but There is only one Michael. Rated PG13. In theaters April 24th.