A father and a son discovered a grisly scene while hiking on Spruce Mountain Tuesday afternoon.

Luke Fallentine, 27, was hiking on Spruce Mountain near Larkspur with his 9-year-old son and two dogs Tuesday evening when they decided to go off trail to explore a cave they’d seen higher up. On their way back down, the party encountered a patch of scrub oak they had to cross, and decided to go through it.

As they fought through the dense thicket, Fallentine said his son had to stop for breath. When they looked to their right, they noticed something that was “not natural.” When Fallentine looked closer, he saw a body hanging from a tree, faced away from him, next to a tent.

Fallentine immediately called 911, then brought his son and dogs back to the car before heading back up the mountain to guide first responders to the body. That was at around 6:15 p.m.

As they approached the body, Fallentine said one of the firefighters with him noticed a black bear lingering roughly 30 yards from the tree in question. When they tried to scare the bear off, it stood up on its hind legs, and stood its ground.

First responders had to go back for reinforcements, arming up with larger firearms, Fallentine said, before eventually flushing the bear out.

One officer said that several other bears had smelled decomposing human flesh and were roaming around the area, making it unsafe.

A Douglas County deputy said they were actively investigating the death, and that the body was still where it was found. Colorado Parks and Wildlife personnel were also on scene.

Law enforcement officers told Luke that the body hadn’t been there for long. Still, the scene shook him.

“My son seems to be doing alright, he says he’s fine,” Luke said. “I might be a little more shaken up than him, but I really got a good look and he just caught a glimpse.”

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office or the Larkspur Fire Department, who responded to Fallentine’s call, could not be immediately reached for comment.

“I just feel for whoever’s family that is,” Luke said.

Wayne Laugesen contributed to this report.

Man’s body brought to downtown Colorado Springs fire station

Body found near Colorado Springs park