I recently traveled to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons with my family a couple of months ago. It was still snowing and cold when we arrived, and the Grizzly Bear activity was just beginning with the first few sightings occurring the weekend we arrived. Having been a National Park Ranger for two seasons, I was aware of the dangers and preventative measures that must be taken when co-habituating with bears. I had my own face to face encounters with Black Bears on a couple of occasions as a Park Ranger in the back country, and was fortunate enough to be able to walk away unscathed.
I was instantly terrified of this incredible beast, and suddenly inspired to learn everything I could about bears, including how to track them, their behaviors, and most of all, how to protect myself from an attack. During my first season, I worked with a Park Ranger who had previously been a Park Ranger at Glacier National Park in Montana. He was a big burly man and had several deep scars on his face and arms. I am ashamed to say that my glance was a little too long at his very noticeable scars, but he was kind enough to share with me about his Grizzly Bear attack encounter.
He had simply been walking on one of the back country trails in Glacier National Park, when he rounded a blind corner and was instantly attacked by a mama Grizzly with her cubs by her side. This man was at least 6'3" or taller, and was very big in stature so I couldn't even imagine the scene. He was calm as he shared the details of his experience, so that I might have a little more information from a real Grizzly Bear attack survivor to add to my arsenal of 'what to do if attacked by a Bear' knowledge.
He described how the Grizzly struck him with her razor sharp claws repeatedly until he finally went down. When he was finally on the ground, she continually tried to roll him over onto his back so that his soft, fleshy front side was exposed. He wouldn't comply and would quickly flip back over in fetal position to protect his stomach side. He played dead, made no sound, and would continually flip back over to to protect his stomach as the Bear growled and attacked, slice after slice into his skin with her claws. She finally grew tired of the game and left him for dead.
He was able to get help right away and extremely fortunate to survive such a brutal Grizzly Bear attack that would have killed a lesser man. He shared with me in detail about hearing the deafening growling sounds, feeling the stinging pain of the strikes against his body, and following through with his instinctual response to protect his stomach side. He never thought of death, only keeping his belly protected and surviving the lightening fast attack until the bear left. He succeeded. His survival attitude helped to save his life.
Some bears attack when startled, or when confronted by humans and stressed. Other attacks are because the campsite is not clean, and the smell of food, or access to trash is made available. If you can prevent the attention of a bear, that is the best way to avoid a bear attack encounter.
After learning about bears and having more of an understanding, I still continue to camp to this day. Traveling into the wild country with young children can raise the hair on your neck pretty fast, especially if you know what lives in the forest, and what it is capable of. So I took the time to thoroughly educate my kids on what they should and shouldn't do when visiting bear country. Although this serious topic obviously frightened them at first, at 8 years old and under, my kids now have a very good understanding of how to behave, and respond in the event of a bear encounter. Like myself, they do not fear bears, but have a deep respect for them.
I then heard about the recent Grizzly Bear attack just outside of Yellowstone National Park this week which left one woman camper dead, and 2 of her companions severely injured. I was stunned at the thought of it. It is always a shock to hear of such a devastating experience. I wondered about the details in my quest to try to understand Bears.
Understanding Bears can be a life long adventure. You can learn a lot by picking up a book or two at the library and begin educating yourself. Bears become desperately hungry in the Fall to prepare for a long Winter hibernation period. Campers who are setting up camp in Bear country should take into consideration that if they are camping near a popular fishing spot for humans, then this is also going to be a popular fishing spot for Bears. Due to their size, strength, and overall disposition, I am always inclined to let the Bears fish first and wait my turn - if you know what I mean.
If you do catch a fish, or have a yummy dinner cooked over the camp fire, it is of the vital importance that you remove all the clothing you wore during your campfire cookout, and change into fresh clean clothes before retiring to the tent for the night. Also, be sure to brush your teeth with unscented toothpaste. As a matter of fact, I use hunting products that are completely scent free including toothpaste, mouthwash, hair shampoo, deodorant, lotions and other products that help to keep you clean without making you smell like a delicious oven roasted Turkey to attract the wildlife directly to your tent.
It is also vital that you keep a clean campsite. No matter how tired you are, make sure you clean up your campsite by washing all dishes away from your tent (at least 100 feet away), picking up any food, empty cans, boxes, and other trash and storing it all up high in a tree along with storing your food. Don't give bears a reason to come your way. Bears have an extraordinary ability to smell, and can pick up a scent more than 4 miles away. Never bring food into your tent. Always clean your kids hands and faces, and change their clothing before they retire to the tent. Make sure there are no food products, candy, toothpaste or other items hidden away in their pockets.
Make sure you notify the local information center or Ranger Station of your whereabouts and when you plan to leave. Notify other family members where you are going as well, along with your intended time frame to camp, and when you plan on leaving. If you have a GPS, it is always good to visit the area where you intend to camp ahead of time if this is possible, and then provide your family with the GPS coordinates of your exact location if you are camping in the back country and not at a camp site. Otherwise, if you are camping at a Forest or Park Service designated camp site, give your friends and family members your campsite number.
Finally, setup your camp site, play with your family remembering that you are not in the city, look over your shoulder and enjoy the beauty of the wild country. If you have trouble sleeping at night, that's good. I have found that it's always better to sleep with one eye open then to sleep like a rock when out in the wilderness. Bears and many other preditors are most active at dusk, and night time. Just because they call it a Park, doesn't mean it is a playground that meets all the Government requirements for safety. The wilderness is wild, and we are merely guests when we visit and camp overnight. Follow some basic guidelines, make them become your routine when camping in Bear Country, and you, your family, and the Bears will have a better time.
Linda Walsh is a mother of 3 young children - one with special needs and a forth child on the way. She is also a family travel expert who has developed a unique system for traveling with babies and young kids, budgeting money, cooking from scratch on the road, managing life with special needs, and living an organized lifestyle to get the most miles out of raising her family. If you would like to find more ways to simplify and organize your travels through life with your children, visit her website at http://www.familytravelgear.com or her blog at http://www.blog.familytravelgear.com.
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