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Re: [at-l] RE: Brinks Rd Bear...

Well, it's easy to say that a bear encounter should be handled differently, 
until you are the one with the soiled shorts, with the bear in front of you.
Maybe I would scare the bear away with the sound of my knees shaking, or 
play dead by passing out, or give him my lunch (that I had already eaten).  I 
don't really know  how I would react.  I don't think I would  run, I probably 
wouldn't be able to get my legs to move, I believe the phrase scared stiff 
would apply here...  
Bears react to people differently depending on their environment, here in 
Jersey where the Bear population is enjoying a huge baby boom, we have a 
problem.  People at campgrounds along the AT (Stokes State forest, etc.), who 
have not seen bears in the area for years are causing problems for everyone 
else.  Some people leave food out for the bears, some try to feed the bears in 
person, all which changes the bears perspective of a backpacker.  He/she is no 
longer just another animal, they are now classified as a food source.
We have already had 1 bear killed because bears are loosing their fear of 
people (I believe it was at a campground in Stokes, I think  it  was 
closed due to bear activity).  This is in a state that used to have a bear 
population of maybe 2, and now has a bear population in the hundreds. 
Oh well, I guess there will always be people who think bears are just the 
cutest ball of fur they have ever seen, and will want to hug and feed them.  
Until all people are educated about bears, the problems hikers are having will 
continue.  Until then, we have to try to handle each bear situation as well as 
we can, and bring extra shorts...

Russ

TrailAT@aol.com
rld@cartoon.lc.lucent.com



> 
> Recently --Rhymin' Worm related this... 
> >Bears were a problem in that section this summer. I didn't have any trouble
> >myself, though I saw several, but one thru-hiker, Mr. Clean, was chased by
> >a bear at Brink Road Shelter. I got this firsthand from him. Evidently he
> >was eating lunch in the shelter and a bear showed up. He put away his food
> >and left the shelter. The bear went in, then came out and started following
> >him. He tried to scare it off, making noise and jumping up and down, but it
> >was not deterred, so he began walking down a blue blaze trail in the
> >direction of a road. The bear followed. He began walking faster. The bear
> >followed faster. He broke into a run when he got within sight of some
> >houses, and the bear broke into a run too. He ended up vaulting over a
> >fence into someone's yard--the woman saw the bear and let him inside.
> 
> This is *SOME* story - not to "monday-morning quarterback" but was this the 
> best way to handle this type of situation ???   It obviously worked this 
> time but...  alarm bells had to be going off at the "he quickened his pace 
> and the bear did as well" since this immediately creates a "hunter and prey" 
> scenario - i've always heard that bears (at least most) will not "take the 
> pack off your back" and i always cring (sp? - shudder) when i hear of people 
> throwing rocks at bears especially after the tragic incident out in 
> California where some people got "carried away" (and they should have been 
> carried away and *PUT away* after doing what they did too).
> .....
> 
>          Happy Trails,
>                                                                           
>  Running Bear - Downingtown, PA - gnyce@wcupa.edu
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> 
> 

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