When heading into Colorado’s great outdoors, it always good to be prepared in case you run into a bear. But for one local tourist this past weekend, her protection apparently kicked in just a little too early.
The Pitkin County Sheriff’s office says that the college-aged woman was one of a number of visitors that were heading by bus to the Maroon Bells on Sunday morning when she leaned on her backpack and accidentally triggered a can of bear spray near the back of the bus. RFTA officials initially told fire and police department responders that 40 people had been exposed to the pepper spray repellent, but it turned out that only 2 people had any significant exposure, including the woman who triggered the spray.
Once the bus aired out, most of the tourists continued on their trip to Maroon Lake, RFTA provided a separate bus for the few who decided to return to town, and a Pitkin Sheriff’s deputy gave the tourist and two of her friends a ride to the Bells once she recovered from the incident.
