Bear Joins North Carolina Man On Run In Great Smokies

A bear joined a North Carolina man on his run in the Great Smokies. He was not expecting the furry companion on his jog!

Running can be a great way to get outside and get exercise. You can be by yourself and you have time to think, reflect, and clear your mind. What you would never expect to happen is have a bear run out during your run. That would certainly get your heart going even more than it already is. According to USA Today, Kallup (some reports say Caleb?) McCoy II, who's a coach and athlete, was running his usual 9-mile trail from Bryson City into Great Smoky Mountains National Park. People had told him there was a bear up ahead and he went to investigate to see if he could get a picture of it. I wouldn't recommend doing that! If you tell me there's a bear up ahead I'm turning around and going the other way! See a video report from Inside Edition on YouTube below.

Video shows the young bear running alongside McCoy and then darting towards him as McCoy tries to scare him away using water and sticks and whatever he could find near him. However, the bear kept trailing him.

Maybe this is why you shouldn't go try to find the bear! Let it be. Take it as a warning and go the opposite way. USA Today says that the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the largest protected areas in the Eastern United States where black bears can live in the wild.