Black bears are common across the canoe-country wilderness. Photo by Kevin “The Kman” Kramer
Bear Attack In Wabakimi and Drowning in Quetico Illustrate Risks of Canoe-Country Travel
By Joe Friedrichs
An Indiana man was taken to hospital after a bear attack at a fly-in resort in Wabakimi Provincial Park June 12, suffering non-life threatening injuries.
Emergency crews were called to Wabakimi, north of Thunder Bay by a three-hour drive, around 8:30 a.m. June 12, Ontario Provincial Police said in a news release.
“The bear was gone upon arrival,” OPP said.
“Officers responded to the area and located one individual with non-life-threatening injuries. The individual was transported to hospital by EMS (emergency medical services) to be treated for their injuries.”
The person attacked was Adam Phipps, from the small town of Brazil, Indiana. The attack happened at Smoothrock Lake in Wabakimi, where motors are allowed. A friend of the family started a fundraiser page for Phipps. It reads: “Never in a million years would I have ever imagined I would have gotten the call that I did yesterday. My best friend, Sunny, usually calls to catch up, talk about our chaotic kids, or talk crap to my husband. Instead, she calls to tell me that Adam was attacked by a bear.
Adam was on the fishing trip of a lifetime in Canada with their family friends. He walked outside early in the morning only to be attacked by a bear. He had no time to react but fought hard for his life. He was finally able to make it to a boat nearby, start it and go out on the water to wait for help to arrive. After nearly an hour later, he was flown to a nearby hospital and immediately went into surgery. Fortunately, he will have little long-term damage as of right now, but he and Sunny have a long road to recovery ahead.”
Prior to the bear attack in Wabakimi, another Indiana man was involved in a situation inside an Ontario provincial park. The body of 25-year-old Grant Smith was found June 9 after a recovery mission involving the Ontario Provincial Police and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry unit. Smith, of Indianapolis, was canoeing with his father and two brothers June 5 when the group’s canoes capsized “in an unexpected fast-moving storm,” according to reports from the incident.
Saganagons Lake is located north of Saganaga Lake at the end of the Gunflint Trail. The Cache Bay Ranger Station is the nearest entry point to Quetico for Saganagons.
Learn more about these situations and other news from the Boundary Waters region in this update from the Paddle and Portage news desk.
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