Odyssey Students Safe After Close Encounter With Bear

GRAND LAKE, Colo. (CBS4)- Students from the Odyssey School are lucky their close encounter with a bear didn't get any closer.

Eighth graders from the Park Hill charter school were on the first of a three night stay of camping at Grand Lake when the bear broke into their campground near the north shore.

The area has had multiple bear encounters this summer.

"We heard somebody kind of like shattering stuff and the doors opening on the bus and we heard rip sounds," said camper Stevie Shock.

A bear broke into the students' bus looking for food.

"We were all freaking out because we knew it was a bear, pans shattering together and moving. It was really scary," said Shock.

The group had been staying in tents next to the bus. After the bear broke into the bus, they moved into a supply van for safety.

The bear ripped through everything, leaving a mess behind.

The campers did everything right, keeping food out of tents which attracts bears and other wildlife.

"I was just glad that he didn't come towards us," said camper Zion Cherinella.

"One of the first things that the head of the camp told us was that there had been a bear here a couple of nights ago, so we knew we might have a bear," said camp leader Jessica Schwarz.

Wildlife managers are trying to locate the bear and trap it, so they can relocate it to another area that's less popular with humans.

After the bear attack, the North Star Lodge has decided to let the students stay indoors free of charge.