[Cdt-l] Cdt-l Digest, Vol 52, Issue 3

Tue Jan 3 12:15:16 CST 2012

I hiked with my younger brother through Glacier and only saw Grizz miles away.

South of Yellow Stone I saw a large male.  I've a feeling I walked directly past him, and when I looked over my shoulder and turned he was probably 50 yards behind me.  We studied each other a few seconds and both moved on our way.

I walked out into a meadow in southern Yellowstone to see mama and two Yearlings. Mama and one Yearling stood to examine me and then took off across the meadow.

I was bluff charged by a young male (Ranger said about 2-3 when I showed the picture to him) about 20 miles south of Heart Lake.  I stood my ground with my large can of Bear Spray aimed and ready.  He swerved away about 10-15 yards away and circled around on the trail to follow me as I moved slowly away, spray aimed.  He stopped once I reached the meadow, and once out of sight I sprinted to Heart Lake doing my fastest 20 miler EVER!  Thereafter, I never quit singing or having Spray at the ready.
Ellie
sidselliott at aol.com

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Date: Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:00:01 
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Subject: Cdt-l Digest, Vol 52, Issue 3

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Today's Topics:

   1. The Grizz (rockmarkstar at aol.com)
   2. Re: The Grizz (Moynihan)
   3. Re: The Grizz (thomas hogeboom)
   4. Re: The Grizz (Moynihan)
   5. Re: The Grizz (Bob Bankhead)

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Message: 1
Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2012 23:32:06 -0500 (EST)
From: rockmarkstar at aol.com
Subject: [Cdt-l] The Grizz
To: cdt-l at backcountry.net
Message-ID: <8CE97E7C8D00970-E30-64C21 at webmail-stg-d15.sysops.aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Okay, so I was just drinking some hot chocolate, dreaming about the CDT, and just happened read my first "Grizzly Mauling Story" while browsing the cdt-l, and I have to ask. Is it really foolish to hike alone in grizzly country? I'm pretty sure the answer is "yes," but should I let that deter me from entering one of these areas solo? 
-Flyboxer
(who would rather box flies than bears) 
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Message: 2
Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2012 21:05:11 -0800
From: Moynihan <mary.moynihan at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Cdt-l] The Grizz
To: rockmarkstar at aol.com
Cc: cdt-l at backcountry.net
Message-ID:
	<CAGE+5cydxh9NYAnV==4WVHwuB0bVJVREupMvqBO0r_-zVng1iQ at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Yes and no..... You're of course safer with another hiker and a few hikers.
I hiked the entire BOB-Glacier solo( as well as everything north of Monarch
Pass, CO...) and although many tried to discourage this, I didn't have
another option and I really enjoyed it. I think I developed better senses
as I was constantly listening, looking and being aware. I was awoken by
bears a couple of nights up north, was told by rangers I had camped with
grizz at a couple of sites in Yellowstone (towards the end of a thru hike I
sleep like a log!) and I saw two grizz along the way just shy of Glacier, a
mom-cub or adolescent-adolescent combo. They have terrible vision (like
ours) and even though I had my arms waving and saying "hey bear" they
couldn't figure me out. They stood up, huffed and thats when I backed away.
I had wondered how I'd react when I'd run into them and I think I did well.
I immediately drew my bear spray, raised my arms, calmly responded with a
"Hey Bear", prepared myself to drop to the ground with hands above head but
was fortunate to be able to just walk away, back up the trail about a 1/8
mile to which I walked cross country down hill still making lots of noise.
I also walked with a bell on my poles and although some say it doesn't
work, I stand by my opinion that it does. I spooked a very big bear in
yellowstone. I never saw him, only his massive tracks and I believe if it
weren't for the bell I would have walked right up on his ass.
My recommendation: Keep a clean camp. Hang your clothes for peace of mind.
Hang your toothpaste, chapstick. Don't walk with music...Bears are awesome
and you'll be very happy to see one (assuming it is at a distance!)
-speedstick

On Mon, Jan 2, 2012 at 8:32 PM, <rockmarkstar at aol.com> wrote:

> Okay, so I was just drinking some hot chocolate, dreaming about the CDT,
> and just happened read my first "Grizzly Mauling Story" while browsing the
> cdt-l, and I have to ask. Is it really foolish to hike alone in grizzly
> country? I'm pretty sure the answer is "yes," but should I let that deter
> me from entering one of these areas solo?
> -Flyboxer
> (who would rather box flies than bears)
>
> _______________________________________________
> Cdt-l mailing list
> Cdt-l at backcountry.net
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/cdt-l
>
>

-- 
*Three trails, one woman. To find about more about Mary and her recent
completion of the Triple Crown visit* http://www.marriedtothetrail.com/
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Message: 3
Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2012 07:54:44 -0500 (EST)
From: "thomas hogeboom" <thogeboom at fairpoint.net>
Subject: Re: [Cdt-l] The Grizz
To: Cdt-l at backcountry.net
Message-ID:
	<51349.71.181.127.236.1325595284.squirrel at webmail.fairpoint.net>
Content-Type: text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1

My hiking partner sustained a leg injury halfway through Glacier Nat.
Park and had to get off the trail, leaving me to hike alone through the
southern half of the park and the Bob Marshall/Scapegoat wilderness.

I started off carried bear bells, but those drove me nuts so I sent them
home and relied on yelling Hey, bear! or Cold beer! every time I got into
heavy brush or came around a corner.  At one point the trail went over a
little rise, so I yelled hey bear and then heard a commotion ahead.  When
I gingerly moved ahead and peered over the rise, there was a bear partway
up a tree, with paws draped over a branch. It chuffed and snapped its
jaws and I could clearly hear the clacking of teeth (at a distance of
perhaps 25 yards). It had a hump behind the head, so I took it to be
grizzly.

I moved on and hiked the next two miles at record pace.

Nighttime was the worst, I worried constantly about a bear coming into my
camp at night, and I slept with the spray can at the ready. An attack
never came, but if it did, I figured a blast of spray would just send the
bear into a rage and might even make things worse. But it was all I had,
so I hung my hat on it.

Much later, I got picked up hitchhiking by a former Yellowstone park
ranger who gave me his 2 cents worth on bear spray. He told me he was
leading a group in the park when a large griz mounted a direct charge. He
aimed his (large size) canister and sent out a steady spray as the bear
came up, and it veered off at the last second. He was not enthusiastic
about the smaller backpacker-sized canisters, as the charge is only good
for about 7 seconds.

I figure that there are times when I carried a lot of extra water (like
in the Great Divide Basin) and put up with the extra weight. Why not bite
the bullet in GNP and YNP and carry the larger canister?  But I have to
admit, I never did carry the big canister and never had to use the little
one.  It's an individual decision for sure.

The Hog

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Message: 4
Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2012 08:17:28 -0800
From: Moynihan <mary.moynihan at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Cdt-l] The Grizz
To: thogeboom at fairpoint.net
Cc: Cdt-l at backcountry.net
Message-ID:
	<CAGE+5czrLN++eG--bA0gNe3RJ4UdsxemQKNGLhf+ATB=e+dORg at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

I never thought about yelling out Cold Beer! Thats awesome and hey, it just
might get you some trail magic!

On Tue, Jan 3, 2012 at 4:54 AM, thomas hogeboom <thogeboom at fairpoint.net>wrote:

> My hiking partner sustained a leg injury halfway through Glacier Nat.
> Park and had to get off the trail, leaving me to hike alone through the
> southern half of the park and the Bob Marshall/Scapegoat wilderness.
>
> I started off carried bear bells, but those drove me nuts so I sent them
> home and relied on yelling Hey, bear! or Cold beer! every time I got into
> heavy brush or came around a corner.  At one point the trail went over a
> little rise, so I yelled hey bear and then heard a commotion ahead.  When
> I gingerly moved ahead and peered over the rise, there was a bear partway
> up a tree, with paws draped over a branch. It chuffed and snapped its
> jaws and I could clearly hear the clacking of teeth (at a distance of
> perhaps 25 yards). It had a hump behind the head, so I took it to be
> grizzly.
>
> I moved on and hiked the next two miles at record pace.
>
> Nighttime was the worst, I worried constantly about a bear coming into my
> camp at night, and I slept with the spray can at the ready. An attack
> never came, but if it did, I figured a blast of spray would just send the
> bear into a rage and might even make things worse. But it was all I had,
> so I hung my hat on it.
>
> Much later, I got picked up hitchhiking by a former Yellowstone park
> ranger who gave me his 2 cents worth on bear spray. He told me he was
> leading a group in the park when a large griz mounted a direct charge. He
> aimed his (large size) canister and sent out a steady spray as the bear
> came up, and it veered off at the last second. He was not enthusiastic
> about the smaller backpacker-sized canisters, as the charge is only good
> for about 7 seconds.
>
> I figure that there are times when I carried a lot of extra water (like
> in the Great Divide Basin) and put up with the extra weight. Why not bite
> the bullet in GNP and YNP and carry the larger canister?  But I have to
> admit, I never did carry the big canister and never had to use the little
> one.  It's an individual decision for sure.
>
> The Hog
>
> _______________________________________________
> Cdt-l mailing list
> Cdt-l at backcountry.net
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/cdt-l
>

-- 
*Three trails, one woman. To find about more about Mary and her recent
completion of the Triple Crown visit* http://www.marriedtothetrail.com/
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Message: 5
Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2012 08:45:47 -0800
From: "Bob Bankhead" <wandering_bob at comcast.net>
Subject: Re: [Cdt-l] The Grizz
To: "'Moynihan'" <mary.moynihan at gmail.com>,	<thogeboom at fairpoint.net>
Cc: Cdt-l at backcountry.net
Message-ID: <002101ccca37$24fb9020$6ef2b060$@comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Or descended upon by a mass of rabidly thirsty thru-hikers. Bear spray will
have no effect on them. You're doomed....especially once they find out you
were only joking.

Better you should go kick a Grizzly cub in the butt in front of Momma Bear.
Your chances of survival would be better.

From: cdt-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:cdt-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
On Behalf Of Moynihan
Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2012 8:17 AM
Subject: Re: [Cdt-l] The Grizz

I never thought about yelling out Cold Beer! Thats awesome and hey, it just
might get you some trail magic!

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End of Cdt-l Digest, Vol 52, Issue 3
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