Fast Company dug up a story from Vermont about a hiker, her iPhone, and a bear.

Apparently, Kris Wagner, who also happens to be the Chief Information Security Officer for the state of Vermont, was on the trail using her iPhone while hiking. Because she wasn’t watching where she was going, she didn’t notice that she was walking straight toward a curious black bear.

When she tried to back away, the bear followed – so she tossed the bruin her shiny iPhone. The bear – like many of us passing an Apple Store – was intrigued, and sniffed and pawed at the phone while Wagner made a run for it.

Two days later, she returned to the same section of the trail with a baseball bat, and found her maimed phone. Sadly, Apple wouldn’t replace it and she had to buy a new replacement phone on her own. Hey – if Apple’s iPhone warranty doesn’t cover water damage, it sure won’t be covering bear attacks.

Aside from the humor of the situation, Wagner really needs to brush up on her bear encounter safety tips. I bet if she just made a lot of noise, the bear would have just left her alone in the first place — and she certainly wouldn’t have run into it had she just been watching where she was hiking.

With the addition of a compass and faster GPS in the latest series of iPhone, they’re actually starting to show their utility on the trail. I, myself, have used Google Maps and apps like AccuTerra to clarify confusing trail junctions more than a few times – but I always stop hiking when I’m looking down at that tiny touch-screen. Aside from the flashier dangers like cliffs and angry animals, it’s also much easier to twist an ankle or smack your head into a branch if you’re not watching where you’re going!

via AccuTerra’s twitter.

Tags: accuterra, apps, bears, GPS, hiker, Hiking, iphone, safety, vermont