Kansas woman killed by grizzly bear at Yellowstone was avid hiker, died ‘doing what she loved’

A Kansas woman mauled by a grizzly bear while hiking on a Montana trail near Yellowstone National Park was an avid hiker who quit teaching to backpack across the country and “died doing what she loved,” family members said.

Amie Adamson’s body was found Saturday in the Buttermilk Trail just west of the national park, according to authorities with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Officials confirmed Adamson “encountered” a grizzly based on the tracks the animal left in the area where her body was found.

Adamson’s mother, Janet, posted the grim news on Facebook.

“This is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to put on here. Yesterday morning we lost our beautiful, smart, talented daughter, Amie. Our first born,” the grieving mom wrote.

Janet Adamson told “Good Morning America” her daughter was an avid hiker who traveled across the country and “died doing what she loved.”

Amie Adamson, 47, quit her teaching career in 2015 to backpack across the U.S. and wrote about her adventures in her book, “Walking Out: One Teacher’s Reflections on Walking out of the Classroom to Walk America.”

In 2018, Adamson posted a scenic shot on her Facebook with the words, “We have nothing to lose and a world to see.”

“Every morning, she’s get up early, and she’s walk, hike or run,” Janet Adamson said of her daughter. “Running through that beauty of Yellowstone — she was almost in heaven.”

Wildlife officials implemented an emergency closure of Custer Gallatin National Forest where her body was discovered.

Adamson’s death put a spotlight on recent animal attacks experienced by hikers in Yellowstone National Park and other areas.

A bison last month gorged a 47-year-old woman in the chest in front of the Lake Lodge Cabins north of Lake Yellowstone. The woman suffered “significant” injuries to her chest and abdomen, park service officials said.

In a separate incident, Tucson, AZ resident Steven Jackson, 66, was killed by a bear as he was sitting outside a campsite last month.

A shepherd was also killed on July 11 after he was attacked by a black bear in the San Juan National Forest in Colorado, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife authorities.

The 35-year-old shepherd suffered bite wounds to his head, his left hand and arm. Authorities also found “severe lacerations” on his hip and scratches on his back.