You Should Not Feed The Bears On Your Backpack Camping Trip
March 3rd, 2009 Posted in Outdoors
Backpack camping in North America is one of the greatest adventures you can experience. The plethora of trail backpacking and backpack tours that you can take advantage of make it an ideal way to enjoy nature. With awe-inspiring scenery and exciting trails, you can be sure that backpack camping will be something you will remember for a lifetime. Be careful, though. As enjoyable as it might be, look for the possible dangers that surround you during your backpack camping adventure.
The United States and Canada are home to a wide variety of wildlife. Many backpack tours are specifically geared towards giving tourists an up close view of these animals. Trail backpacking on your own will also bring you into contact with much of the wildlife as well – and some of these encounters are ones you may not want.
Bears are North America’s largest and most unpredictable predator. You can find bears in the northernmost tip of Canada and Alaska to as far as the deep South of the United States. While bear attacks are considered rare, they still happen and you have to be prepared should you find yourself in this situation.
There are three basic reasons that cause of bear attacks while trail backpacking or during backpacking tours: One – the bear is caught by surprise; two – you’ve run into a female bear with cubs; three – the bear smells food near you.
Backpacking through the woods and staying as quiet as you can sounds like a great idea. After all, you want to see the wildlife before it runs away, right? Howver, unless you’re hunting, moving through bear territory quietly while trail backpacking can be dangerous. If you should suddenly appear in front of a bear at close range, the bear is going to be startled and angry. Make noise, talk, sing, or rattle cow bells as you hike to give the bear fair warning that you are in its territory. The bear will hear you and move off. The denser the area, the more noise you need to make. Bears have very poor eyesight, and they won’t see you coming through dense underbrush.
Even though cubs and bears are adorable, that doesn’t mean you should try to approach them. Even bear cubs, as harmless as they may seem, can be dangerous if you try to pet them. Their mama is definitely keeping watch. If they feel that their cubs are in any danger at all, they will do what they need to do to get rid of the threat. If you come across any animals during your backpacking tour, resist the urge to approach them as this could be an extremely dangerous thing to do.
A backpacking tour might take you a few days, so your trip will include camping overnight. Bears might not be able to see very well, but they have an amazing sense of smell and they will definitely sniff out any food that you have with you. If you have food hidden anywhere in your gear or tent, they will find it. To help keep them away from your campsite, hang the food in a tree at least fifteen feet off the ground away from the campsite. Be sure to hang it in the middle of a branch where a climbing bear won’t be able to get to it.
While these precautions might seem like an annoyance while on a backpack camping trip, they are well worth your time. Being aware of what the dangers are will not only make your backpacking tour that much more enjoyable, but it can potentially save your life.