Musings: Hiking in Grizzly Country

We’ve sometimes taken the reverse approach from the author’s (“seen a grizzly . . .  I found myself scratching it off my list”).  One time in Banff, we were debating about a nice loop with lots of glacier views with the downside that it was a very popular itinerary.  There was a sign outside the permitting office that two grizzlies were active along that trail, we looked at each other, and knew we were going there since that warning would scare away the nervous hikers.

It worked out well – there were very few other people on the trail, sometimes we had campsites entirely to ourselves, and we saw both bears as we hiked.  Because we did what we were supposed to – yakking it up where there were poor sightlines, water noise and berries – the bears did what they’re supposed to and were heading away before we came over the rise.

This betrays my location, but isn’t “hiking in grizzly country” just “hiking”?

Mark – I think folks like David Thomas and Philips of this world who hike in Alaska are very comfortable hiking in grizzly country. Maybe it is just getting used to – like pretty much everything in life. They claim the wild Grizzlies avoid humans. I have hiked in Jasper/Banff and in Yellowstone/Grand Tetons with bear spray etc Luckily never encountered one on the trail – but saw several from car especially in Jasper/Banff area. I was hiking alone and was literally screaming/singing loudly to make sure that I don’t surprise a bear. Probably my singing kept the bears away :-)

DWR D – Yeah – I don’t understand these re-introduction efforts. There is absolutely no reason to.

I wish the bears would leave us alone and I am sure all humans will leave them bears alone!

Yeah – I have heard that Masai in Kenya are a terror to the lions and lions keep their distance from them. In a recent book Burn – the author was talking about living with hunter gatherer society and one day, the tribe stole a zebra or impala from a lion that had just killed it. These folks are very used to lions and are not that scared of them.

As long as the bears run away and stay wild, great for everyone.

“I’m not acting like other backpackers and WILL be hitting them with my stick if they’re still around when I get there. “

Ha ha! That is funny….maybe someday, I will develop that attitude….

So, if you are hiking alone – how do you make sure that you are heard so that bear doesn’t get surprised? I know David talks about his dog sometimes sounding the alarm that something is afoot. I think that is the biggest problem – a surprised bear that is suddenly scared and thinks it needs to defend itself.

California proudly has the last remembrance of the grizzly on its state flag, but I’d warrant there are few Californians who want it back; they prefer their fantasyland rather than the real land they moved into. If you read the literature documenting early explorations of California, most describe the grizzlies there as fairly shy and not very dangerous, easy to shoot. Native Americans living there didn’t fear them either, according to most accounts. Hollywood has managed to instill irrational fear in most of us. But California has more serial killers than any other state, and deathly traffic in every community. Why worry about grizzlies? If California had fewer people, less traffic, and affordable housing, I’d move there and advocate for grizzly reintroduction, just to get out of the cold.

I would never want Alaska to lose its grizzlies or its wolves, wolverines, or any other of our amazing wildlife. A short-tailed weasel has been hunting my woodpile lately – I love where I live! When Outsiders move in, and wonder why we haven’t shot all the predators to keep humans safe, or why Denali NP doesn’t have a coffee stand in the middle of the park, I want to send them back to California, or wherever they came from. It’s not Fantasy Island, and it’s not “wilderness.” It’s wild land, with all (most) of the creatures who have lived here thousands of years; enjoy them! Land much used by humans as well for all of that time. It has “natural splendor” but it isn’t landscaped to suit the needs of REI members (like myself). It isn’t here just for the amusement of the well-off.

You do get used to hiking and camping with big wildlife in Alaska, but bears make you more aware of your surroundings. After living here 30 years, I’m still paying attention when I’m in brown/grizzly bear country, more so than elsewhere, noting the freshness of tracks or scat.

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, and all those silly movies come back to haunt us at 3am in the tent. I sleep pretty well these days in my tent, here or elsewhere! So yes, you get used to it.

Want to see a great demo of our most dangerous Alaskan animal in full attack mode? Here’s a YouTube video I just watched, and the canoeists caught some behavior that highlights how dangerous moose really can be. Outsiders often don’t believe they are dangerous, because they seem so complacent. Fast forward to 15:40 and watch what happens. Turn up the volume so you can hear the moose growl. This is the critter I worry most about surprising on a trail. But I wouldn’t live without them.

bear bell is an old technique to warn bears

Old, yes, but also ineffective.  See:

Smith, T. S., Herrero, S., Layton, C. S., Larsen, R. T. and Johnson, K. R. (2012), Efficacy of
firearms for bear deterrence in Alaska. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 76: 1021–1027.

Primary author Smith tells of watching bears repeatedly ignore bells, but immediately take notice
when a pencil is snapped in two. The theory is that high-pitched sounds (like little bear bells) are
interpreted by bears as birds or squirrels or other non-threatening creatures. So if you want to alert
a bear to your approach, you need to make noises that sound more like something that might worry the bear. Grunting, throat clearing, talking in a normal voice, crashing brush, snapping twigs,
etc., could sound like something big (another bear?), so they get the bear’s attention.

Bear bells do a good job, however, of irritating every human within a mile of the nervous hiker.  (Grrr!)

Bear bells clearly indicate newcomers or tourists here in Alaska. I know no one who would use those, so annoying. It would also be hard to hear them in places where the wind is blowing hard, or there’s a rushing stream nearby.

What else can one do? Hiking in groups is useful, because there is often talking, and even the sound of many footfalls is noisier than a single person. When I’m alone I sing quite a bit, especially in brushy areas. If it’s head high alders and I cannot see anything, I do shout and clap every few seconds, until I’m in the clear. But you’re right – hiking alone for long hours it’s hard to stay noisy. I try to stay alert for scats, tracks or broken bushes that might indicate an animal has been through recently. Most places are not teeming with bears or moose; they like some areas more than others. Learning where they like to go helps with how attentive you need to be. Often we end up hiking in the alpine, where visibility is fantastic.

When I do see bears or moose, I watch their behavior closely (if they’re actually nearby; sometimes you see them a long way off and then you just keep an eye on them). A super scary bear (which I’ve never seen, but friends have) is one that is interested in you, follows you, or that you see over and over again after thinking you’ve passed it by. Then the bear spray is in your hand and you’re making a shit-ton of noise, constantly. And listening to your heart race. Even moose sometimes follow people, not sure why. I have had this happen. It was so weird and freaky like those deer in the Sierra that wait around camp for you to pee. Not sure if that’s the moose’s intention also. Eventually they quit bothering you.

There’s no magic formula; it’s one of the risks of hiking.

edited to add: a fair number of Alaskans also carry guns. I don’t, but I don’t mind when folks do, if they seem like intelligent people who know what they’re doing.

Someone told me whacking a stick on a tree works well.

I have walked up on grizzlies just strolling mindlessly along. I started to yell occasionally in thick areas and/or smack my trekking poles together. Seems to help. A bear safery expert told me the human voice is something bears really don’t like. I’ve seen grizzlies a long ways off that ran when i yelled.

But outside of thickets i don’t worry much. On an alpine ridge the bear and i will probably have plenty of time to react.

Answer: if the scat has berries it is a black bear. If the scat has a bear bell, it is a grizzly.

You left out the “smells like pepper” part, which was the best part.  As in this version:

The National Park Rangers are advising hikers in Glacier National Park and other Rocky Mountain parks to be alert for bears and take extra precautions to avoid an encounter. They advise park visitors to wear little bells on their clothes so they make noise when hiking. The bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance and not be startled by a hiker accidentally sneaking up on them. This might cause a bear to charge.
Visitors should also carry a pepper spray can just in case a bear is encountered. Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear’s sensitive nose and it will run away.
It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for fresh bear scat so you have an idea if bears are in the area. People should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat.
Black bear droppings are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and possibly bits of fur. Grizzly bear droppings tend to contain small bells and smell of pepper.

Phillip, the most scared I’ve ever been was in Denali when a momma moose and calf came trotting down the trail towards us. As soon as I saw them, I immediately went behind a tree while dragging my spouse with me. Thankfully the moose just trotted by nonchalantly.  (I’m not an Alaskan native, and it was my first time there).

Clapping is effective for me. When I first started backpacking solo in SW Virginia I would run into black bears constantly. Happened a 3 or 4 times in that fist year.

Then I started clapping anytime I’m in dense brush. Haven’t seen a bear since then while backpacking in this part of the country.

Honestly sometimes I want to stop clapping just so I can see them again but…that could be problematic.

It probably harder to clap every minute or so in brush if you are highly dependent on 2 trekking poles though.