A group of girl scouts swimming in a Texas lake had a heart-stopping encounter with a 14ft alligator during a camping trip last week. 

The group were camping in Huntsville State Park and were swimmingly blissfully in Lake Raven, where swimming is allowed despite there being a known gator presence. 

Troop leader Nichole Glenn spotted the beast and stood between it and the girls until they were safely back on shore. 

She thought it was a ‘log’ in the water – until it started moving. 

The alligator’s tail and head rose to the surface briefly as it approached the group at Lake Raven

People screamed and scrambled away as the alligator approached in the Texas lake 

‘I was thinking, this is the day I die,’ Ava Miller (pictured). 11. said.

The alligator was tangled by a rope and turned away but it stayed in the area for over an hour

‘I always say that I love them to death. I always say I would do anything for them. 

‘Now, I definitely know I would do anything for them,’ Glenn told local outlet KPRC2. 

The girls were screaming and scrambling away as the alligator gliding towards them in a cell phone video. The alligator is estimated to be 14 feet long. 

‘I was thinking, this is the day I die,’ Ava Miller, 11, said. 

Troop 114204 was on a leisurely overnight camping trip at Huntsville State Park to explore the park and learn fishing, Glenn said. 

Scout Erin White jumped off the dock and dived into the water when the gator got closed. 

Troop leader Nichole Glenn spotted the beast and stood between it and the girls until they were safely back on shore. She thought it was a ‘log’ in the water – until it started moving.

Glenn, 53, said she was determined that none of the girls would be hurt. The park allows swimming despite multiple gators being found in the lake in the past

‘I thought they were leaving me to go, so I jumped off and followed,’ White said. 

She didn’t see the 14-feet long gator and was chasing after her friends until Glenn told them to get out. 

‘I was close enough to get hurt. And I didn’t even know it was there,’ White told KPRC 2. 

The girls were shoved up to the shore and no one got injured. 

The alligator was tangled by a rope and turned away. But it stayed in the area for over an hour. Park police officers asked the public to leave and closed the swimming area for the rest of the day. 

Troop 114204 was on a leisurely overnight camping trip at Huntsville State Park to explore the park and learn fishing

The girls were swimming in the designated area. 

Huntsville State Park did not ban swimming despite although it is known for having ‘alligators living in the park’ on its website. 

The state agency once removed alligators from the park but has not decided if it needs to be done for this time.  

The park has signs around that warn visitors to keep 30 feet away from alligators. 

After the exhilarating experience, the scout troop has mixed feelings about swimming in the lake. Glenn said she’ll never swim in a lake again. 

‘I should probably focus on my surroundings more,’ White said. 

Huntsville State Park and Taxes Parks and Wildlife Department have been reached for comments. 

The girls have mixed feelings about swimming in the lake after the exhilarating experience