WW said: Paddle down a Salmon run is in and the bears are feeding along its > banksand your asking for trouble. I very much second that....there is a relatively mild river just outside of Anchorage; Eagle River. Mostly class II water that canoeists love. More than one paddler has been chased out of their canoe when rounding a bend to come upon a brownie feasting on salmon/moose - the bear has literally charged into the river to get at the paddler. I refer back to my previous post regarding 'curious bears' - you can bet if they are around and smell blood, that they will investigate it. Generally, bears don't like the taste of humans. But do you want to be the human that gets 'tasted'? When in real bear country PEOPLE ARE NOT AT THE TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN! Remember that if nothing else, and act accordingly. Just several weeks ago, folks in Eagle River (a suburb of Anchorage) where being 'harassed' by an adolescent male brownie. A woman jogging along a somewhat busy road was chased by the bear - she hopped a guard rail and hid behind a tree several feet off the road. The bear had his front paw on the rail ready to cross it as a truck approached, honking it's horn and flashing it's lights...this scared the bear off and saved the woman's life. All she was doing to provoke the 'attack' was jogging down the road...this triggered the 'flight response' as experts would say, and caused the bear to give chase after 'prey'. Burn what is burnable, and pack out anything else in an airtight bag. A small 5L drybag fits nicely in a day pack. Carry some alcohol wipes to neutralize any smells on your hands....just because you don't smell it doesn't mean a bear won't. Hunting season here brings the bears. They have grown accustomed to rifle shots....just like ringing a dinner bell for them. The brown's will come and investigate the sound, knowing it typically means a fresh kill. More than one hunter has been chased away from a moose/sheep by a bear (or the bear has wound up dead). Another story: Several years ago an older gentlemen was on a day hike out in the Kenai Peninsula. It was the same trail he hiked daily for 20 years. He reached his turnaround...got out his stove, put water on to boil, and got out his packet of ramen noodles. Turns out, a young male brown bear had been stalking him for several miles. No-one is quite sure what happened, but the tracker explained it this way: as the man was bent down, the bear approached from out of the brush, the man had managed a shot from his little rifle (memory seems to tell me it was a .22 or something) - the bear came up and took one bite of the man's head....crushing his skull...then left. The ramen was undisturbed....as was the stove with the boiling water...authorities found the stove out, with an empty pot on it....the gas container was empty as well. What provoked this attack??? Who knows???? point is: bears are wholly unpredictable. be prepared. 'nuff said. Scott in Alaska *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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