Rubble Creek trail to Garibaldi Lake remains closed after several hikers encountered aggressive cougars in the area.
A viral TikTok from travel bloggers recounts how an "armed escort" helped them safely out of the backcountry.
“The rangers came around this morning while we were all having breakfast and said that basically a group of five went down last night and were hunted for an hour of their trip, basically down to the trailhead, by cougars, with one sort of behind them and one circling around them," one of them says in a video posted June 12, which had amassed more than 10,000 likes by June 14.
According to the B.C, Ministry of Environment, 小蓝视频 Parks and the Conservation Officer Service responded to cougars in the area along Rubble Creek trail on Sunday, June 8 and Monday, June 9.
"Campers and hikers were safely escorted out of the area by Conservation Officers due to the aggressive behaviour of these cougars. COS remain in the area to monitor and assess cougar activity," a spokesperson said.
"To ensure public safety, 小蓝视频 Parks has implemented a trail closure for the next week, with the Rubble Creek trail anticipated to re-open on Tuesday June 17. This closure is in place to ensure public safety. Reports of cougar conflicts or aggressive cougar behaviour can be made to the RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277."
Whistlerite Ashley Thompson said she encountered the animals herself on the morning of June 9.
"They were slinking towards us very quickly up to a distance of about 8 feet perhaps, and completely undeterred from our screaming, rock throwing, and general psychotic behaviour, as we tried to fend them off," she wrote in an email to Pique. "Over time other hikers joined up with us on the trail and we all went down as a group together, but even as a group of 10 people they still followed us for a while."
Thompson said she wanted to help get the word out, "because there were so many hikers going up after us even after our warnings, and some of them didn't understand what cougars even really were, nor did they have bear spray.
"It seems a lot of people are frequenting the area with little to no knowledge or safety means! I really worry for these people—tourists or lesser educated folks from the city, and newcomers to the Sea to Sky."
Access to Garibaldi Lake remains in place via the Cheakamus Lake trailhead but visitors should note this is an 18-kilometre detour, hiking through snow for long periods of time.
For more information on how to stay safe if you see a cougar, visit:
