7/10/11 Posting

There has been a lot of news this week regarding wildlife and wildlife encounters. A fourth wolf pack has been confirmed in the Teanaway area. A grizzly bear was photographed in the North Cascades. A man hiking with his wife was attacked and killed by a grizzly bear in Yellowstone. And a woman was attacked by a black bear while jogging near Colville, WA.

All of this got me thinking about the reasons I used to avoid hiking when I was younger. I was definitely an indoor girl and when asked if I wanted to go hiking I would say, “Why would I want to do that? It’s cold and dirty and there are bears.” Well I have solved the cold problem with decent clothing, I enjoy getting dirty now, and I’ve encountered bears several times and had no problems.

I don’t know about your ability to endure cold or love of getting dirty, but I do know that I hear from many folks both in the course and in the Beginning Hiking Seminar that one of the biggest issues they have with getting into the backcountry is fear of encountering wildlife—specifically bears and mountain lions. Please don’t let this fear stop you from getting out into some really great areas. Instead, learn how to minimize your chance of encountering wildlife in dangerous situations. For excellent trips on how to do this, please read these safety guidelines provided by the National Park Service in Glacier National Park. There are links to tips specifically for bears and mountain lions. I’ve backpacked in this beautiful park and have seen both grizzly bears and moose fairly close up and have not had any problems with them.

What many people fail to realize is that the biggest issue with wildlife is failing to respect the wildness of wildlife. Getting too close to or feeding creatures is a much bigger safety issue than dealing with marauding bears and cougars. Most people get injuries from being bitten or struck by animal—usually by a cute chipmunk or deer while trying to get that close-up picture or when giving them something to eat. I think I had my worst encounter with wildlife at a picnic spot in North Cascades National Park where a jay habituated to human food was dive-bombing Matt and I at a picnic table as we ate our lunch. This bird was actually landing on our heads and arms trying to get us to give it something to eat! In contrast, the bears I’ve seen either took one look at me and headed the other way, or continued browsing on the huckleberries.

So here’s the best advice I can give for dealing with all wildlife (provided by the Yosemite National Park web site):

Keep Wildlife Wild:

• Respect animals at a distance: never feed or approach them.
• Keep your distance from animals, even if they approach you.
• Dispose of trash in animal-proof trash cans or dumpsters.

• Keep your food and trash from wildlife by storing it properly, day and night.

If we can minimize the reasons why animals desire to approach humans in the first place, then the chance of having a negative or dangerous encounter will be minimized.