View Full Version : Hiker's detailed account of Spence Field bear attack
Uncle Joe
05-26-2016, 09:06
Here's a detailed account of the attack at Spence Field.
https://peachpeak.wordpress.com/2016/05/24/first-blog-post/
Uncle Joe
05-26-2016, 09:08
I didn't realize this had been linked to in the other thread ( http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/118751-Bear-bites-Appalachian-Trail-thru-hiker-in-the-Smokies-WBIR-com/page6 ). Maybe this will make it easier to get to, though.
Thanks for the link. As I recall, Spence Field was one of the first shelters to remove the chain link. Maybe it's time to put the cages back up
Pedaling Fool
05-26-2016, 12:04
I disagree. One of the reasons (I've heard, but not sure) is that people often fed the bears thru the fence. But regardless, people need to learn to live with bears. This can happen at anytime, remember NJ attack...
saltysack
05-26-2016, 16:13
I assume he got a new trail name after this?????? Bear bait!!!
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I disagree. One of the reasons (I've heard, but not sure) is that people often fed the bears thru the fence.
yeah.....
thats what was happening...
so the park removed the cages, and put up the cable system...
the idea is to educate people about proper food storage...
the trouble is that people cook and eat around the shelter, which still attracts bears to the shelter area...........
I've never been worried about bears but that was a chilling read.
MuddyWaters
05-26-2016, 17:14
Thanks for the link. As I recall, Spence Field was one of the first shelters to remove the chain link. Maybe it's time to put the cages back up
If a person wants zero chance of aggressive bear encounter , the only way to get it is to stay home.
Taking down the fences was a big step forward in changing bad hiker behaviors that were creating bear issues.
Wouldnt want to camp outside the fence when idiots have conditioned bears to eat there.
saltysack
05-26-2016, 17:27
Like diving in a chum slick....
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Do away with the gd shelters.
saltysack
05-26-2016, 18:20
Maybe one good thing will come of this.....the media causes people to panic!!! The trail is full of man eating bears!! Avoid at all costs...
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Christoph
05-26-2016, 19:39
Wow I was on the edge of my seat reading his story. Glad he survived with fairly minor injury. Stay safe out there.
Wow, that is something of a read. Glad he was alright in the end. Now I have to go to sleep.. Glad I stumbled upon this right beforehand.. Lol.
Lil' Santa
05-31-2016, 22:37
Glad Peach is okay, but why did the bear attack him unprovoked? Still a question I'm left with
Glad Peach is okay, but why did the bear attack him unprovoked? Still a question I'm left with
It was hungry......
Berserker
06-02-2016, 12:41
Interesting read. Normally you just hear that someone was attacked and they are fine or recovering, and you don't get to hear all the details of what actually happened.
DrRichardCranium
06-12-2016, 14:49
Did they ever find the right bear?
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Not from what I've heard...
they em collared two other bears but DNa did not match ..
in thr meantime---more closures have happened...
wren again
06-12-2016, 15:30
Can you detail the closures or provide a link to info? We are starting a section hike soon. Thank you!
https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/temproadclose.htm
Emerson Bigills
06-12-2016, 17:41
Leave the shelters open and keep the chain link fences back in the dark ages. The GSMNP has the highest concentration of bears of any National Park. In over 80 years the park has been in existence, there has been only one human fatality due to a bear attack. That park is most visited national park in the nation, so there clearly are lots of opportunities for the bears and humans to interact. Sometimes bad human behavior breaks the natural fear black bears have of humans and corrective actions have to be taken. The Park Service does a phenomenal job trying keep humans safe and also protect the bears and give them a natural life among the millions of visitors. Folks need to chill with the knee jerk reactions and recognized that the current program is working pretty well.
I heard from two sources that the guy had lathered up with coconut oil prior to going to bed. Anybody else heard this?
I heard from two sources that the guy had lathered up with coconut oil prior to going to bed. Anybody else heard this?
Your "sources" fed you a bunch of BS....
the he victim has responded in a different thread and has posted a link to his account of what happened.....
Just a rumour I guess. I read the account. Very scary.
You shoulda questioned your sources as to why anyone would lather themselves up with coconut oil before going to bed.......
saltysack
06-12-2016, 18:27
I heard from two sources that the guy had lathered up with coconut oil prior to going to bed. Anybody else heard this?
Haaaa...sure it wasn't KY....funny shi!....
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MuddyWaters
06-12-2016, 18:44
Haaaa...sure it wasn't KY....funny shi!....
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That would be for a completely different type of "bear" attack....:eek:
I think early on some shelter goers theorized he had coconut scented sunscreen. He had sunscreen, unopened and said had not used any.
August W.
06-12-2016, 19:16
That would be for a completely different type of "bear" attack....:eek:
I think early on some shelter goers theorized he had coconut scented sunscreen. He had sunscreen, unopened and said had not used any.
I believe other parks will fine a person for leaving unopened sunscreen in a parked vehicle, and require such items to be kept in a bear canister when backpacking. Perhaps it's to avoid unfortunate circumstances like these.
I believe other parks will fine a person for leaving unopened sunscreen in a parked vehicle, and require such items to be kept in a bear canister when backpacking. Perhaps it's to avoid unfortunate circumstances like these.
Good policy to keep things simple for all to understand -- sort of like when Wegman's Supermarkets instructs its cashiers to card everyone buying beer, including my 84 year-old mother.
That said, I sincerely do not think an unopened 1-oz tube of sunscreen was the root cause of this specific incident.
Do you?
I think early on some shelter goers theorized he had coconut scented sunscreen. He had sunscreen, unopened and said had not used any.
i went on what the Park's PIO told me was in the inventory of what was in his tent.........
Captain Bluebird
06-14-2016, 17:07
Just hiked from Standing Bear to Hot Springs Thursday through Saturday, June 9-10-11-2016. We spent two nights on the AT at tent sites. There were four of us and we were awakened each night by a bear walking up to, and around our tents. A female hiker walked by our site Friday late afternoon and informed a bear got to her bag and then returned for her cook set. She had to go back into Hot Springs for supplies. I have been on the trail numerous times section hiking with my sons. This is the first time I have experienced a bear at my tent in the middle of the night. I will admit, it was unnerving to say the least! We all just kept still and waited for the bear to walk away. (About 30 minutes later.) Our bags were hung about 30 yards away from our tents. I would like to mention that the fire pits at these two tent sites had empty tuna pouches, empty Frito lay bags and candy wrappers strewn about. I don't know if that was what attracted the bears, but I hope if you do this as a habit, stop. If you see one throw empty food wrappers into the fire pits, slap them around for me and everyone else!!!
CamelMan
06-14-2016, 20:17
a bear got to her bag and then returned for her cook set.
...
We all just kept still and waited for the bear to walk away. (About 30 minutes later.)
I wonder if her bag was hung? Anyway, I think the proper protocol in that situation would have been to act like a troop of angry chimpanzees. I wouldn't want the bear to make the wrong decision like in the OP.
FreeGoldRush
06-14-2016, 20:34
On June 3 I day hiked to Charlie's Bunion from the Newfound Gap parking lot. A guy there showed me his backpack that had been torn in several places by a bear the night before. He was from the left coast and had put his pack into a metal box he mistakenly thought was for that purpose. He said he thought it was closed securely but a bear got into it during the night. They chased off the bear after it drug the pack about 100 feet. He found his pack and food in an area with other items the bear had been taking from backpackers. He described it all as trash/scraps. Unfortunately I do not recall the shelter he mentioned, but it was not the Icewater shelter nearby. His girlfriend who was hiking with him joked that she wanted to frame her food bag with a bear gash in it. It sounds like the problem is simply people leaving food near shelters.
As someone who wants to do a thru hike, these aren't the trail stories I hoped to hear.
Maybe I will carry a small air horn. :)
CamelMan
06-14-2016, 21:18
As someone who wants to do a thru hike, these aren't the trail stories I hoped to hear.
How about this story, then:
I'm in GSMNP 3-5 times a week when bears are out there, and see them all the time. Today I saw 2 cubs and "something" in some bushes I couldn't actually see. I admit to taking a small 22g pepper spray today because I know this trail has lots of bears, but I'm not going to carry the one pound grizzly blaster. (I also walked right past a rattle snake, that was worse.)
I've seen some more bears in Shenandoah and in western PA. Not one between Springer and Fontana in 2010, though. (Only rodents, actually, not even a deer.)
I've never had a serious problem. The worst thing that's happened to me is that one time, on a rarely used trail, a bear moved its head from side to side and pawed at the ground, in which case I backed away and left, which is what he wanted. Otherwise, even though I'm usually alone I've always gotten them to yield the trail by acting aggressively, or else I've just let them pass, or passed by them, as long as they were aware of my presence.
Bang your hiking sticks together or pick up a branch. Use your "bad dog" voice. There's also no need to endlessly harass them if they've already run into the bushes, or are going about their business. The more habituated ones will sometimes just treat you like part of the scenery. You'll be fine, you'll get used to it. There's no need for FUD, bear attacks are very, very rare. Thousands of people go to the backcountry in the national parks and forests every year. Only rarely are they preyed upon. :eek:
saltysack
06-14-2016, 21:49
On June 3 I day hiked to Charlie's Bunion from the Newfound Gap parking lot. A guy there showed me his backpack that had been torn in several places by a bear the night before. He was from the left coast and had put his pack into a metal box he mistakenly thought was for that purpose. He said he thought it was closed securely but a bear got into it during the night. They chased off the bear after it drug the pack about 100 feet. He found his pack and food in an area with other items the bear had been taking from backpackers. He described it all as trash/scraps. Unfortunately I do not recall the shelter he mentioned, but it was not the Icewater shelter nearby. His girlfriend who was hiking with him joked that she wanted to frame her food bag with a bear gash in it. It sounds like the problem is simply people leaving food near shelters.
As someone who wants to do a thru hike, these aren't the trail stories I hoped to hear.
Maybe I will carry a small air horn. :)
I've never seen a bear on the AT...saw my first one few months ago on the foothills trail. That said I've not hiked through SNP or GSNP and bring my dog "Bear Bait"....his new trail name...[emoji38]. The bear is the black thing in the middle fishing on the Chattooga River..https://vimeo.com/170716329
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Captain Bluebird
06-14-2016, 23:00
How about this story, then:
I'm in GSMNP 3-5 times a week when bears are out there, and see them all the time. Today I saw 2 cubs and "something" in some bushes I couldn't actually see. I admit to taking a small 22g pepper spray today because I know this trail has lots of bears, but I'm not going to carry the one pound grizzly blaster. (I also walked right past a rattle snake, that was worse.)
I've seen some more bears in Shenandoah and in western PA. Not one between Springer and Fontana in 2010, though. (Only rodents, actually, not even a deer.)
I've never had a serious problem. The worst thing that's happened to me is that one time, on a rarely used trail, a bear moved its head from side to side and pawed at the ground, in which case I backed away and left, which is what he wanted. Otherwise, even though I'm usually alone I've always gotten them to yield the trail by acting aggressively, or else I've just let them pass, or passed by them, as long as they were aware of my presence.
Bang your hiking sticks together or pick up a branch. Use your "bad dog" voice. There's also no need to endlessly harass them if they've already run into the bushes, or are going about their business. The more habituated ones will sometimes just treat you like part of the scenery. You'll be fine, you'll get used to it. There's no need for FUD, bear attacks are very, very rare. Thousands of people go to the backcountry in the national parks and forests every year. Only rarely are they preyed upon. :eek:
The problem is that I don't think pepper spray is advisable while inside a tent. Usually, I leave my sticks and rocks outside my tent.... therefore I am left with my "bad dog" voice! Seriously, what should one do if a bear is within reach of your tent in the middle of the night? The bear woke all 4 of us up by stumbling down the hillside and took us by total surprise. I did un zip my tent so that I had an escape route. Facing a bear on the trail is one this and a bear outside your tent at night is another.
saltysack
06-15-2016, 06:51
The problem is that I don't think pepper spray is advisable while inside a tent. Usually, I leave my sticks and rocks outside my tent.... therefore I am left with my "bad dog" voice! Seriously, what should one do if a bear is within reach of your tent in the middle of the night? The bear woke all 4 of us up by stumbling down the hillside and took us by total surprise. I did un zip my tent so that I had an escape route. Facing a bear on the trail is one this and a bear outside your tent at night is another.
Need a bright headlamp! Another reason to carry a good one! At least you can see him before he eats ya!!![emoji90]
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daddytwosticks
06-15-2016, 07:10
The problem is that I don't think pepper spray is advisable while inside a tent. Usually, I leave my sticks and rocks outside my tent.... therefore I am left with my "bad dog" voice! Seriously, what should one do if a bear is within reach of your tent in the middle of the night? The bear woke all 4 of us up by stumbling down the hillside and took us by total surprise. I did un zip my tent so that I had an escape route. Facing a bear on the trail is one this and a bear outside your tent at night is another.
I'll probably catch hell from a lot of hikers, but I carry a few firecrackers to scare away bears. I have NEVER had to use them, but I figure one of them set off anywhere near a troublesome bear will probably send it running. :)
CamelMan
06-15-2016, 08:28
I'll probably catch hell from a lot of hikers, but I carry a few firecrackers to scare away bears.
Personally I think bear bangers (http://www.mec.ca/product/4007-146/tru-flare-pen-launcher-kit/) should be legal in the US.
The problem is that I don't think pepper spray is advisable while inside a tent. Usually, I leave my sticks and rocks outside my tent.... therefore I am left with my "bad dog" voice! Seriously, what should one do if a bear is within reach of your tent in the middle of the night?
(The spray was more a security blanket for me than anything else, anyway. If I really thought I might have to use it, it would be logical to carry the big bottle.)
I'm not a bear expert so take what I say with a grain of salt, I'll probably be eaten tomorrow. If a bear is not pursuing me, and is far enough off the trail, I just carefully walk past it. I don't have all day, and being foolishly assertive goes a long way to getting them to yield. The difference is when it's pawing at the ground and asking for space, in which case I would yield. In my experience, after you chase them off the trail, they hide in the bushes but don't just run off towards the horizon in fear of their lives. They know what you are. I have mixed feelings about harassing them too much. Even if they haven't totally left the scene, once they're off the trail in front of me it has been safe to pass, while keeping an eye on them.
As for camp, or if a bear is approaching you, I was only half-kidding about the "angry chimp" act. Clap your hands, make a bunch of noise. Pick up a stick and beat it. (Against a tree, not the bear.) I used to bring my poles into my tent, when I carried them. Make it known that you will not go gentle into that big mouth. If you have a bunch of people it shouldn't be too hard to scare a bear away. Or you can just put in some ear plugs and forget about it. Lots of people on this board just sleep with their food. (Ok, kidding about the ear plugs.)
I'm a hiker, not a camper, so I've spent few nights outside when I can just go home and shower. But here are some examples of encounters and what I did:
We saw the resident bear at Mollies Ridge last week, and it was clearly heading toward the cables. One person yelling made it hesistate, but when two people got into the act, it turned tail and ran away. Neither of us had hiking poles, but hand clapping was very effective.
On my way towards Cosby Knob shelter, I ran into a smaller bear or female heading towards me on the trail, in the opposite direction. I "verbally assaulted" it and then picked up a stick. The bear went into the bushes, but just off the trail. I threw the stick in such a way that it hit some other bushes, and the bear went a little further. At that point I passed.
Last year, I turned a corner and saw a gigantic male walking towards town in the evening. It ignored me until I hit my sticks together, at which point it stopped and turned its head towards me. I decided that making a challenging display was probably not a good idea. I stopped hitting the sticks together, and then it just turned its head away and resumed its walk towards town.
On the same trail, I treed some cubs and the mother was sitting at the bottom of the tree watching me. It was probably less than 50' from me. I kept an eye on her but just walked down the trail, away from the scene.
In Shenandoah, I was doing one of the hikes and there was a bear in the river. When it heard me, it aggressively ran up the bank and perked up its ears. I said "hey bear" a few times so it could figure out where I was, and just slowly walked down the trail, making sure I wasn't being pursued. That was one of the more nervous encounters because it was one of my first.
On a lesser used trail, I encountered two bears. They scattered when they heard me, but I knocked the poles together to be sure. Instead of sideways into the bushes, they ran up the trail ahead of me and around the corner. I had to carefully round the corner and scare them again, before they went sideways into the bushes.
Anyway, its fun to tell stories, but I hope I'm not making it sound like a bigger deal than it is. Most of the time you won't have to do much, they'll just run away, and it's cool to see one. Seeing a bear makes you feel alive.... at least temporarily. ;)
saltysack
06-15-2016, 09:05
Personally I think bear bangers (http://www.mec.ca/product/4007-146/tru-flare-pen-launcher-kit/) should be legal in the US.
(The spray was more a security blanket for me than anything else, anyway. If I really thought I might have to use it, it would be logical to carry the big bottle.)
I'm not a bear expert so take what I say with a grain of salt, I'll probably be eaten tomorrow. If a bear is not pursuing me, and is far enough off the trail, I just carefully walk past it. I don't have all day, and being foolishly assertive goes a long way to getting them to yield. The difference is when it's pawing at the ground and asking for space, in which case I would yield. In my experience, after you chase them off the trail, they hide in the bushes but don't just run off towards the horizon in fear of their lives. They know what you are. I have mixed feelings about harassing them too much. Even if they haven't totally left the scene, once they're off the trail in front of me it has been safe to pass, while keeping an eye on them.
As for camp, or if a bear is approaching you, I was only half-kidding about the "angry chimp" act. Clap your hands, make a bunch of noise. Pick up a stick and beat it. (Against a tree, not the bear.) I used to bring my poles into my tent, when I carried them. Make it known that you will not go gentle into that big mouth. If you have a bunch of people it shouldn't be too hard to scare a bear away. Or you can just put in some ear plugs and forget about it. Lots of people on this board just sleep with their food. (Ok, kidding about the ear plugs.)
I'm a hiker, not a camper, so I've spent few nights outside when I can just go home and shower. But here are some examples of encounters and what I did:
We saw the resident bear at Mollies Ridge last week, and it was clearly heading toward the cables. One person yelling made it hesistate, but when two people got into the act, it turned tail and ran away. Neither of us had hiking poles, but hand clapping was very effective.
On my way towards Cosby Knob shelter, I ran into a smaller bear or female heading towards me on the trail, in the opposite direction. I "verbally assaulted" it and then picked up a stick. The bear went into the bushes, but just off the trail. I threw the stick in such a way that it hit some other bushes, and the bear went a little further. At that point I passed.
Last year, I turned a corner and saw a gigantic male walking towards town in the evening. It ignored me until I hit my sticks together, at which point it stopped and turned its head towards me. I decided that making a challenging display was probably not a good idea. I stopped hitting the sticks together, and then it just turned its head away and resumed its walk towards town.
On the same trail, I treed some cubs and the mother was sitting at the bottom of the tree watching me. It was probably less than 50' from me. I kept an eye on her but just walked down the trail, away from the scene.
In Shenandoah, I was doing one of the hikes and there was a bear in the river. When it heard me, it aggressively ran up the bank and perked up its ears. I said "hey bear" a few times so it could figure out where I was, and just slowly walked down the trail, making sure I wasn't being pursued. That was one of the more nervous encounters because it was one of my first.
On a lesser used trail, I encountered two bears. They scattered when they heard me, but I knocked the poles together to be sure. Instead of sideways into the bushes, they ran up the trail ahead of me and around the corner. I had to carefully round the corner and scare them again, before they went sideways into the bushes.
Anyway, its fun to tell stories, but I hope I'm not making it sound like a bigger deal than it is. Most of the time you won't have to do much, they'll just run away, and it's cool to see one. Seeing a bear makes you feel alive.... at least temporarily. ;)
I'd say your new trail name should be "bear magnet"....damn that's a lot of bears!
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Here is some unacceptable bear/human activity caught on tape. You just can teach some people how to act around bears.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84bBzAxLXFY
Captain Bluebird
06-15-2016, 13:04
I went to REI this morning. Their bear spray is $45 in an eight ounce can. Not sure if I want to carry the weight on my section hikes. Still in research mode! My sons are in their mid 20's, over 6' and very athletic. They did not want to go for the third night out. So we spent the 3rd night in Hot Springs. Heading to GSMNP this weekend to hike up to Gregory Bald. I am stopping by Sugarlands to get some advice from the experts....
centerfieldr162
06-15-2016, 13:33
I have only had one bear encounter in the GSMNP. I was hiking in Cades Cove and walked around a bend and literally 10 feet away from me was a mother bear digging into an old tree root system (I'm guessing for grubs). I stopped dead in my tracks and was scared to death. She looked up and me and I backed off. As I was backing off I see her cub is beside her in a tree just playing around. Luckily I think she was very desperate in her search for food at the time because she returned back to digging in that tree and did not care about me at all but if she had wanted to, she could've torn me up in seconds. I was so close to her and never even heard a thing and I had been keeping my eyes out for bears, or at least I thought so.
My grandfather was hiking 4 weeks ago in the rainbow falls area and was on a trail alone. He came upon a large male in the middle of the trail and the bear had already seen him before my grandfather saw the bear. The bear never took his eyes off of him. He had an air horn and he blew it and the bear did not budge. He said he backed off and the bear stared at him for minutes and then bounded off into the woods.
Both times had potential to be bad and were pretty unnerving but since they ended well, they left for some pretty cool memories. Those creatures sure can do some damage but man they are gorgeous. They just need to be respected and more people need to be educated on how NOT to let the bears associate people with food.
Heading to GSMNP this weekend to hike up to Gregory Bald.
if you plan on camping at the campsite near the bald---it may be still closed....
it was last week....
Anyone else backpack in Glacier National Park?
All backpackers get a brief but very informative bear education, the do's the don'ts, and past occurrances. Every site I camped at had three seperate areas. Entering camp first thing bear pole, food and all scented items stayed here. Off to one side, a fair distance away was cooking area. Here we cooked and cleaned then returned to bear pole to hang. Continue on away from cook area was tenting area, no food or anything scented here.
From what I've read here might be worth a try in active bear areas on the AT. Bear boxes popping up in the Greens VT and Whites NH. But no camp/cook separations.
CamelMan
06-15-2016, 20:18
I'd say your new trail name should be "bear magnet"....damn that's a lot of bears!
Actually, there are at least 4 more from this year. Maybe because I'm out until sunset a lot. The trail names might not mean anything to anybody, but I saw one on the Cove Mtn trail, Old Sugarlands, Twin Creeks (a bigger cub that I've seen more than once and seems used to people), and this one right by the Trillium Gap / Old Sugarlands trailhead in the Cherokee Orchard Rd loop. It was eating leaves, and everybody was taking pictures, so I tried too. Otherwise they're not so easy (for me at least) to catch on camera.
http://i64.tinypic.com/aljlut.jpg
Maybe there should be a thread about more positive bear encounters to give people some perspective? Mine and centerfieldr162's are pretty typical, I would think.
Captain Bluebird
06-15-2016, 20:34
if you plan on camping at the campsite near the bald---it may be still closed....
it was last week.... Thanks foe the heads up! We're just going up for a day hike from Cades Cove.
SkeeterPee
06-15-2016, 21:40
Those of you who have walked up on a bear, were you walking into the wind so the bear could not smell you? Or are thy just not afraid of humans in those locations? Typically when I have encountered wildlife at those ranges it is because I am walking into a good breeze.
MuddyWaters
06-15-2016, 21:56
Those of you who have walked up on a bear, were you walking into the wind so the bear could not smell you? Or are thy just not afraid of humans in those locations? Typically when I have encountered wildlife at those ranges it is because I am walking into a good breeze.
I walked up on one in the top of a tree. It came down. My first thought was "thats a mighty big raccoon" , it was so far up there at first I could barely see it, but I could hear leaves shaking.. I hollered at it to stay in the tree, it didnt listen. Came down the trunk fast, about 10' from me, looked me in face, plopped to ground and took off at warp speed. It was yearling, maybe 70 lbs ish.
Another time had a sow and cub walk ~25' from me, and not pay a bit of attention. The cub was a cutie, a little black ball.
Another time one was resting under a tree, maybe 60' away from trail and just watched people walk by. We had been warned by hiker from other direction there was a bear ahead, sure enough, it just watched us pass.
All of these knew I was there.
Ive surprised others suddenly near trail that take off like bat out of hell.
saltysack
06-15-2016, 22:03
Actually, there are at least 4 more from this year. Maybe because I'm out until sunset a lot. The trail names might not mean anything to anybody, but I saw one on the Cove Mtn trail, Old Sugarlands, Twin Creeks (a bigger cub that I've seen more than once and seems used to people), and this one right by the Trillium Gap / Old Sugarlands trailhead in the Cherokee Orchard Rd loop. It was eating leaves, and everybody was taking pictures, so I tried too. Otherwise they're not so easy (for me at least) to catch on camera.
http://i64.tinypic.com/aljlut.jpg
Maybe there should be a thread about more positive bear encounters to give people some perspective? Mine and centerfieldr162's are pretty typical, I would think.
Most of your sightings in the day or night time? I night hike often but always bang my poles every so often and have never seen one while on the AT.....glad to have a bright headlamp when needed!
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CamelMan
06-16-2016, 09:01
A lot of them are in the morning or evening, but it seems like if you get far enough away from trailheads, you can sometimes run into them during the day. The one that pawed the ground at me was during the day, and so were the cubs I treed last year. But yeah, most are probably within an hour of sunset. All the 4 I mentioned were like that. I don't hike at night a lot, but when I do, I haven't seen any, yet. I bring a lot of light with me (Magnus Innovation headlamp + Fenix PD-32), so maybe it keeps them away.
I could be biased because of where I go, but I think they're more likely to be hiding out at lesser used trails, at lower elevation, than high up on the ridgelines. I can't remember seeing any on any of the Mt. LeConte trails, and only the 2 on the AT that I saw last week, but I haven't spent a lot of time on the AT in the evening. (A little around Newfound Gap.) In the evening, I've seen a couple heading towards Gatlinburg, probably to raid the trashcans. One was running pretty fast down the hill, past the cars, in the Cherokee Orchard loop. That was interesting. We had a small one, probably a female, raiding our trashcans last fall. The city puts stickers on your dumpster that say "Be Bear Aware" and you can get a fine if you're not.
Captain Bluebird
06-21-2016, 17:54
if you plan on camping at the campsite near the bald---it may be still closed....
it was last week.... Camp site 12 was open and occupied. The Flame Azaleas were at their peak! And yes, came across a bear running in the gravel road near the trail head....
Camp site 12 was open and occupied. The Flame Azaleas were at their peak! And yes, came across a bear running in the gravel road near the trail head....
i was referring to campsite 13, which is up about a half mile below the bald...........
and its still closed............
Captain Bluebird
06-23-2016, 19:19
i was referring to campsite 13, which is up about a half mile below the bald...........
and its still closed............ Copy! Is #13 on the Parsons' Branch Road? I know the road is still closed to vehicular traffic. Horses, well that is a different matter!
HooKooDooKu
06-24-2016, 00:24
Copy! Is #13 on the Parsons' Branch Road? I know the road is still closed to vehicular traffic. Horses, well that is a different matter!
#13 is just below the bald on the Parsons Branch Side. It's about 4 miles from the trail head on Parsons Branch.