Upon hearing the story of Erin Bolster and her spirited horse Tonk charging a grizzly to save an 8 year old boy from imminent danger while on a trail ride in the Flathead National Forest near Glacier National Park, I thought of my brave little girl Eileen and our intrepid trail guide Esther.
I’m sorry to say that Eileen and Esther didn’t get invited to The Late Show with David Letterman like Erin and Tonk are scheduled to do Tuesday night, but their adventure is no less exciting.
It was the glorious summer of 2009. David, Mallory, Eileen and I were on a trail ride in Many Glacier. Eileen was riding Digger right behind our trail guide Esther – when suddenly our horses stopped cold.
Right in the middle of the trail was a determined looking bear staring us down and thumping the ground.
What were we to do?
As the scene unfolded in front of me, I wondered what would happen if the bear charged Eileen’s horse. She was in the front of the line – near the guide – closest to the bear.
Would the bear lunge at her horse? Would the horse rear up on its hind legs and throw her? Could she hold on if the bear charged? What if the horse took off running into the woods?
