Musings: Hiking in Grizzly Country

“Risk assessment always makes sense on an intellectual level, and it’s pretty clear that fear of grizzlies is much hyped; stats just don’t back up that fear. But as humans, our emotions get the better of us, …”

Thanks for making me think, I resemble this remark!  I have had many black bear encounters in my home state of Washington and just two with grizzlies – both in Montana. I’ve never had a problem but I was a bit fearful seeing grizzlies. That said, I am glad to be in their environment. We have a small grizzly population in the northest corner of Washington (the Selkirk mountain range). There is a move to reintroduce grizzlies into the North Cascades National Park – I’m for it.