Is it safe to hike in Alaska?

[MomOnBike]

You might check out Backcountry Bear Basics by Dave Smith. It gives the psychology of bear, and some good tips/ideas for staying safe in bear country.

In a nutshell, though, bear are big, fast, intelligent, curious and hungry. Act appropriately. At least that's what I got out of that book.

[snapdragen]

Most of the parks/trails I've visited had bear warning signs if there had been any recent bear activity.

The only hike I can remember in AK was at Denali Nat'l park - Horseshoe Lake. It's a short walk/hike, if you're lucky you can see the beavers that live in the lake.

[Desert Tortoise]

If you plan to carry bear spray, make sure it is where you can easily reach it. When my husband and I hiked in Glacier NP and there were lots of bears, we came across a guy who was coming around a bend saw a bear and it saw him. The guy froze, the bear looked at him like he was giving him some thought and lucky for the hiker, the bear turned around and went the other way. The guy had bear spray but it was IN his backpack. If that bear had not turned around, there was no way he would have had enough time to take off the pack, open it up, get the spray and be ready for the bear in time. According to this guy it was that close and that fast.

He told us this story because he saw we had ours on our backpack straps. Before our trip I made sure to know the feel of the canister. Although I didn't open any to get a feel for how it sprayed, I did look at them carefully, feel the safety tab, practiced putting my finger into the hole and simulate removing the safety tab. Think: wind direction. I was afraid to remove the safety tab, what if I couldn't put it back on? Anyway, I also practiced with my backpack on. Made sure I had it on my left shoulder strap (I'm right handed) and I could easily reach, remove from holder and hold it out without looking at what I was doing. Think: wind direction. I figured if I did come across a bear, I didn't want to take my eyes off of it.

Think: wind direction. Keep in mind wind direction when using anykind of spray. It's hard to remember in these moments, thats why I added it to my practice steps.

Alaska is beautiful! One day I hope to get to hike there too. Have a wonderful trip.

[jessmarimba]

If you plan to carry bear spray, make sure it is where you can easily reach it. When my husband and I hiked in Glacier NP and there were lots of bears, we came across a guy who was coming around a bend saw a bear and it saw him. The guy froze, the bear looked at him like he was giving him some thought and lucky for the hiker, the bear turned around and went the other way. The guy had bear spray but it was IN his backpack. If that bear had not turned around, there was no way he would have had enough time to take off the pack, open it up, get the spray and be ready for the bear in time. According to this guy it was that close and that fast.

He told us this story because he saw we had ours on our backpack straps. Before our trip I made sure to know the feel of the canister. Although I didn't open any to get a feel for how it sprayed, I did look at them carefully, feel the safety tab, practiced putting my finger into the hole and simulate removing the safety tab. Think: wind direction. I was afraid to remove the safety tab, what if I couldn't put it back on? Anyway, I also practiced with my backpack on. Made sure I had it on my left shoulder strap (I'm right handed) and I could easily reach, remove from holder and hold it out without looking at what I was doing. Think: wind direction. I figured if I did come across a bear, I didn't want to take my eyes off of it.

Think: wind direction. Keep in mind wind direction when using anykind of spray. It's hard to remember in these moments, thats why I added it to my practice steps.

Alaska is beautiful! One day I hope to get to hike there too. Have a wonderful trip.

Thinking wind-direction is definitely important - I took a self-defense class in college and the main thing they drilled into our heads about pepper spray is that most people end up spraying themselves just as much, if not more, as their attacker. We practiced fighting attackers with cans of silly string so you can see how the wind affects where you spray. It doesn't diffuse as much but it's a good visual aid.

[Desert Tortoise]

Silly string - what a great idea!!

[Trek420]

Silly string - what a great idea!!

It'll work really well on a bear

[Trek420]

In a nutshell, though, bear are big, fast, intelligent, curious and hungry. Act appropriately. At least that's what I got out of that book.

It helps to learn to identify bear poop:
How to recognize black bear scat: it has leaves and berries in it.
How to recognize grizzly bear scat: it jingles and smells like pepper!

[OakLeaf]