A little girl who lost a special teddy bear she’d had since being adopted from an Ethiopian orphanage thought it was gone forever when she forgot it along a trail in Glacier National Park last year. But thanks to perseverance and a bit of luck, the teddy bear is back in the arms of 6-year-old Naomi Pascal in Jackson, Wyoming.
… Teddy was the first gift Ben and Addie Pascal sent to Naomi before she was adopted in 2016. She took Teddy with her on family trips to Ethiopia, Rwanda, Croatia and Greece. When Pascal took his kids to Montana in October 2020, Teddy was once again along for the adventure. He was accidentally dropped on a trail and by the time the family realized Teddy was gone it was too late — it snowed overnight, making it impossible to find Teddy.
… It wasn’t too long before Ranger Tom Mazzarisi spotted the stuffed bear, soaking wet and sitting in melting snow while he and two others were doing some end-of-season work. Teddy “hibernated” in Mazzarisi’s cabin and when Mazzarisi returned to work in April of this year he “immediately put him on the dash of my patrol truck.” Teddy had a busy spring and summer tagging along with Mazzarisi.
… In late September a family friend returned to Glacier for some hiking and photography and spotted a bear on the dash of a ranger’s truck. Unfortunately, the ranger’s truck was locked. It was Mazzarisi’s day off and another ranger who was working on the trail had the keys. They left a note on the vehicle and found other rangers. They knew about the bear, confirmed where it had been found and soon returned Teddy to Hayden along with a junior park ranger badge and a ranger hat. The family friend shipped the bear to Naomi.
Photo: E+