What to do if I see a bear?
Not sure whether to post this here or in hiker safety. But I've never encountered a bear before (this will only be my 3rd section hike)...I'm doing part of the GSMNP....so my question is, what do I do if I see a bear? I've done some research, but any advice/tips? Both close up, and also not just if they are close...but what if for example I saw one 50 yds or so away...do I make noise to make it go away? Or just wait until it leaves before attempting to hike by? Also thoughts on bear bells...do they work?
Firecrackers not recommended
There's no way you can throw a firecracker in the dark and be certain it doesn't land in an area with flammable material.
"How much harm can one firecracker cause?"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle_Creek_Fire#Cause
Quote:
It was announced on September 8 that Oregon State Police had obtained cellphone video footage from one of the teenagers who had watched while a 15-year-old Vancouver boy threw a smoking firecracker, allegedly igniting the Eagle Creek Fire. Public Information Officer Capt. Bill Fugate says "the video will be released through the public records request process once the investigation is closed and the case is adjudicated, if charges are filed", reported Willamette Week.
The teen was sentenced in February 2018 to five years of probation and 1,920 hours of community service with the U.S. Forest Service. He also was ordered to write apology letters to 152 people trapped on the Eagle Creek trail because of the spreading flames, the city of Cascade Locks, the Forest Service, Oregon State Parks, the Oregon Department of Transportation, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, the Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission and many others.
On May 21, 2018, a judge ordered the 15-year old to pay more than $36 million in restitution, which includes more than $21 million on behalf of the U.S. Forest Service, $12.5 million to the Oregon Department of Transportation, more than $1.6 million to the Oregon State Fire Marshal, more than $1 million to Union Pacific Railroad and varying amounts to Oregon State Parks, Allstate Insurance and a woman who lost her home in the fire.[4] In his sentencing, Judge John A Olsen stated that the terms of the repayment were for a payment plan lasting for ten years, provided that the offender completed five years of probation and did not commit any crimes in the ten-year period
An air-horn will accomplish the exact same result, with no danger of starting a $36 million fire. It can also be used again, requires no time to use (you have to light a firecracker), and is quite legal (unlike firecrackers) in all parts of the A.T.