Hiker Killed by Grizzly Bear Identified

By Melissa Thomasma

Special to the Wyoming Truth

The victim of a fatal grizzly bear encounter near West Yellowstone on Saturday has been identified as Amie Adamson, 48, of Derby, Kansas.

In a statement released Monday, the Gallatin County Sherriff’s Office in Bozeman, Montana, noted that Adamson was known to use the trails in the area for early morning hiking and jogging, and was likely doing so on the morning of July 22. Her cause of death has been ruled as exsanguination — extreme blood loss — due to injuries inflicted by a bear.

Adamson, after leaving her job as a public school teacher for two decades, published a book in 2020 called “Walking Out: One Teacher’s Reflections on Walking Out of the Classroom to Walk America,” which documented her 2,200-mile hiking expedition across the country. 

In a video interview with ABC News’ “Good Morning America” on Tuesday, Adamson’s parents said that she was “working nearby” to the Buttermilk Trailhead. “Every morning she’d get up early and she’d walk, hike, or run — she was almost in heaven,” Adamson’s mother, Janet, said. “She died doing what she loved; she loved it there.”

Morgan Jacobsen, Information Officer for the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, told the Wyoming Truth that overnight trapping efforts on Monday were unsuccessful.

“Today we’ll be shutting down active capture operations, but continuing to monitor bear activity in the area for another week or so,” he said.

Jacobsen explained that monitoring efforts are carried out through the use of trail cameras, in-person patrols by staff and conversations with area residents to gather any information on bear presence.

“Reports from the public can be extremely helpful,” he said.

In a previous interview with Wyoming Truth, Jacobsen confirmed that the incident likely occurred due to a surprise encounter between the hiker and bear. With adult and cub-sized grizzly tracks found nearby, it is possible that a mother bear was acting in defense of her offspring. Grizzly attacks are very rare, Jacobsen said, and they do not hunt or prey on humans.

The emergency closure in the Buttermilk Creek area of the Custer Gallatin National Forest remains in effect.