Alone After Dark: A Fatal Grizzly Encounter in Glacier National Park | E265
The Crux True Survival StoriesShow Notes
A late-afternoon hike in Glacier National Park seemed simple enough: climb toward the Mount Brown Fire Lookout, watch the sunset, and head back down.But as darkness settled over Mount Brown, 33-year-old Anthony Pollio found himself descending alone through steep, heavily forested terrain. Somewhere in the woods, a grizzly bear was moving through the darkness.In this episode of Disaster Strikes, we examine Anthony Pollio’s final hike, the search-and-rescue operation that followed, and the investigation into what happened on Mount Brown. We also look at a second grizzly bear encounter in Glacier National Park just 25 days later—and the warning signs, environmental conditions, and safety decisions that can turn an ordinary hike through bear country into a life-threatening situation.This episode explores: Anthony Pollio’s final hike on Mount Brown The Mount Brown Fire Lookout trail in Glacier National Park The search for Anthony Pollio Grizzly bear attacks and encounters in Glacier Why hiking alone after dark can be dangerous How to stay safe in grizzly country What hikers should know before entering bear habitat 00:00 Disaster Strikes Intro 00:37 Alone After Dark on Mount Brown 02:03 Glacier’s Grizzly Country 03:57 The Mount Brown Trail 05:18 Our Bear Encounters 08:18 Who Was Anthony Pollio? 10:02 A Late Start Up Mount Brown 12:33 A Surprise in the Deadfall 14:32 The Search for Anthony 16:23 How Rare Are Fatal Bear Attacks? 17:59 Another Grizzly Attack, 25 Days Later 20:20 What the Two Attacks Had in Common 24:32 Where Was the Bear? 27:35 Staying Safe in Grizzly Country 34:34 Remembering Anthony PollioReferences — Alone After Dark: A Fatal Grizzly Encounter in Glacier National ParkPrimary / Official Sources National Park Service — Glacier National Park. “Search Underway in Glacier National Park for Missing Hiker.” May 6, 2026. NPS — Search Underway for Anthony Pollio National Park Service — Glacier National Park. “Missing Hiker and Bear Encounter Victim Identified.” May 9, 2026. NPS — Anthony Pollio Identified Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee Board of Review. Final investigation into the May 3, 2026 fatal grizzly encounter involving Anthony Pollio on the Mount Brown Lookout Trail. July 2026. The review reconstructed the encounter using physical evidence, DNA, trail conditions and Pollio’s communications and concluded that Pollio likely surprised an adult male grizzly at close range while descending in darkness. National Park Service — Glacier National Park. “Hiker Injured by Grizzly Bear at Glacier National Park.” June 2, 2026. Official account of the May 28 Grinnell Glacier Trail attack discussed in the episode. NPS — Grinnell Glacier Grizzly Encounter Reporting & Additional Sources Flathead Beacon. “Report Details Fatal Glacier Park Grizzly Bear Attack.” July 24, 2026. Detailed reporting on the final interagency investigation. Flathead Beacon — Fatal Grizzly Investigation Hungry Horse News. “Grizzly Bear Mauling Death in Glacier: A Closer Look at Full Report.” July 24, 2026. Includes details from the final investigation regarding the trail conditions, darkness, deadfall and circumstances of the surprise encounter. Hungry Horse News — Full Report Coverage Montana Free Press. “Glacier’s First Fatal Bear Attack in Almost 30 Years Came After Surprise Encounter.” July 24, 2026. Montana Free Press — Anthony Pollio Investigation Associated Press. Coverage of Anthony Pollio’s death and Glacier National Park’s first fatal bear attack since 1998. May 2026. People. Interview with Anthony Pollio’s father, Arthur Pollio, including Anthony’s background, his plans to watch the sunset from Mount Brown, and his final communication with his father. May 2026. ABC News / Good Morning America. Interview with Daniel Crago regarding the May 28, 2026 Grinnell Glacier Trail grizzly attack. June 8, 2026. ABC News — Daniel Crago Interview Backpacker. “‘Pure Panic’: Glacier Grizzly Attack Survivor Shares the Story of the Rescue That Saved Him.” June 5,
More from The Crux True Survival Stories
In November 1934, 20-year-old artist and adventurer Everett Ruess disappeared into the remote canyons of southern Utah with two burros and a desire to explore some of the wildest country in the American West. He was never seen again.When searchers eventually retraced his route, what they discovered raised more questions than answers. And as the years passed, the mystery surrounding his disappearance only deepened. Did Everett fall victim to the unforgiving desert landscape? Did he encounter someone dangerous? Or was there something else behind his disappearance? In this episode of The Crux True Survival Stories: Disaster Strikes, Kaycee and Julie investigate one of the American West's most enduring mysteries—a disappearance that has puzzled investigators, historians, and adventurers for more than 90 years.
In the vast, frozen wilderness of Nunavut, Canada, even the most experienced hunters know that a routine trip can become dangerous in an instant.When Inuit hunter Ernie Etak headed out onto the Arctic tundra in December 2021, he couldn't have imagined the ordeal that lay ahead—or just how far he would be pushed to survive.In this episode of The Crux, Kaycee and Julie share Ernie's extraordinary true story and explore the traditional Inuit knowledge, survival instincts, and remarkable physiology that can mean the difference between life and death in one of the harshest environments on Earth.What happens when the human body reaches its limits? And what allows some people to survive when the odds seem impossible?Join us for a gripping story of survival in the Canadian Arctic.
On a clear July evening in 2025, a seasoned hunting guide scouting for mule deer in Utah's Uinta Mountains felt his side-by-side begin to tilt at zero miles an hour. Minutes later, he lay on a steep slope with a shattered leg, his satellite messenger, radio, and phone scattered somewhere in the darkening brush, and only one companion left. What followed was an arduous journey of cold creek crossings, yipping coyotes, and a light no bigger than a quarter. Jake Schmitt thought he understood his dog, but somewhere in the dark, Buddy started doing something Jake still can't explain.
On May 24, 1998, a Canadian climber lost his footing on Denali's West Buttress and disappeared down the north face toward the Peters Glacier. Two National Park Service volunteer rangers were a hundred feet ahead of him. One of them radioed for permission to go down and look, got it, and started descending — and somewhere on that slope a decision was made that two separate federal investigations would spend the following year trying to explain. What happened next left one man clipped to a single ice screw in a storm, with no radio, waiting to find out whether anyone knew where he was. Thirteen days later, on the same stretch of ridge, it happened again.
A day hike in Glacier National Park turns into a fight for survival when 19-year-old Matthew Read encounters deep spring snow near Huckleberry Lookout.What begins as an ordinary hike quickly goes wrong, leaving Matthew stranded in steep, heavily forested terrain as changing weather and cold exposure raise the stakes.In this episode of The Crux: True Survival Stories, we follow Matthew’s three-night ordeal and the massive search effort unfolding around him. Along the way, we break down postholing in deep snow, wilderness survival strategy, hypothermia versus frostbite, and the challenges search-and-rescue teams face trying to locate one person in Glacier’s vast backcountry.How do you survive when a simple step into the snow changes everything?