[Paddlewise] Picking up the tab

Matt wrote;

> Maybe those who feel like I do should start telling tall tales of scary
> encounters with Great White sharks we met out on the water to help raise 
> the
> awareness of this very real possibility of being eaten for sea kayakers.
> Discovering one is not at the top of the food chain when paddling a kayak
> might clear up a lot of the damage to wilderness done by the "watertrail"
> crowd.

I agree that that should help. Sometimes it doesn't. When I paddled from 
Kujuak in Quebec around the north end of Labrador and down the coast to Nain 
with three other people (in open canoes so you know we are crazy :) ) One 
person insisted on taking a gun to protect us from the bears. I should have 
backed out right then when I realized I was the only person with any 
experience with firearms (Good American that I am).

Fortunately we only encountered one bear and that one was swimming in the 
other direction but I  wondered what would happen if I stepped outside in my 
birthday suit for  pee and they mistook me for a skinny bear. I took to 
peeing in a cup and tossing it out the back flap.

I bet a lot of gun happy paddlers think they could (and should) shoot their 
way out of a confrontation with a bear. Bad enough having to share the 
wilderness with the Green Pigs but imagine sharing it with armed Green Pigs.

Cheers

John Winters
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