Tips for solo backpacking

Aldaron said:
Now he'll never go backpacking :)
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Don't forget I am scared of bears not people so he can't... ;) Anyways I know he is just fooling around :) One thing that animals do more than us is bluffing..when they fight with each other for mating rights, first thing they do is bluff to win the battle and that's the take away lesson.
 
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Predator attacks on people are just so rare that they are virtually statistically insignificant. The fact is that it is a rare, rare occurrence for any predator to see humans as any kind of prey...it's just not how they're wired. That doesn't mean it never happens, but you should buy a lottery ticket before you go out in the wilderness if you think you have a chance of being attacked by a predator.

Be more worried of breaking an ankle and falling off a ledge and giardia. If you want to be worried about animals, worry about allergic reactions to bee stings and rutting moose.

And if you want to worry about real problems, worry about going on a solo trip, falling in love with it, and spending your life savings on backpacking gear.

That's the statistically significant risk.
 
I've learned to leave it up to the experts rather than just doing what seems intuitive to me. We are walking into the homes of some very large predators. We should be prepared and take far more than our theories of what will work to protect us. You can be perfectly safe by following the proven best practices the experts give us, even if you think you know better.

The fact is, Moose are FAR more dangerous than bears. That being said, you shouldn't have to think twice about carrying bear spray when you're in bear country, even if you think you're the bear whisperer that can read their every move. It's been proven to work so many times, it's small, and it protects you. Even the bear experts take it with them when they're in bear country, and they understand bluffs and motives far better than any of us. If they carry it, why in the world wouldn't you carry it?
 
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WasatchWill said:
While I too get nervous about bears, the only kinds of bears we have to worry about are black bears, and I don't even know if bear spray is worth the weight for those. If I encounter a black bear I'll try to calmly talk to it and back away and if it still wants to come at me, I figure I'll try to be brave enough to see if it bluffs. If it attacks, I figure I can start whacking it across the head with a trekking pole aiming for its nose and eyes. I've also wondered if keeping a pole in my left hand while throwing my right pole at it then pulling my knife with my right hand would be a good plan. Perhaps not and maybe I should just invest in a can of spray.
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I wouldn't underestimate black bears. Bluffing is grizzly behavior. If a black bear charges you he is going to attack you, and black bears are often more aggressive than grizzlies. The correct response is to fight back if attacked by a black bear. However, the odds of walking away unscathed are better by deterring a bear with spray than engaging the bear in a fight. I would invest in the spray for safety's sake.
 
Thanks Pixie. I probably will. I know the Wasatch is full of them and that's where many of my trips will probably be. I had hoped it wouldn't be necessary or worth the extra little bit of weight, but you are right. Better safe than sorry.

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I've hiked a lot in the Wasatch and haven't seen a bear yet. Which is fine by me. One word of comfort, there has only been 1 recorded bear death in Utah in the last 100 years. Just one. That was the boy in American Fork canyon several years ago who had food in his tent. Of course when I tell my wife that statistic she always counters with how many maulings have there been. ;)

I've read about a few moose attacks in Utah occurring over the last 10 years, but haven't heard of any actual deaths.
 
I've seen bears up AF Canyon several times. They've always run away from me, but if I had to get up to pee in the middle of the night, I'd definitely want my bear spray with me. I had a friend get charged up there in the middle of the night. Her husband heard it and scared it away, but it freaked her out.

Also, if you really want to be safe against black widows, snakes, bears, etc, you can carry a spot, delorme, or an SAR beacon.
 
sixstringsteve said:
I've seen bears up AF Canyon several times. They've always run away from me, but if I had to get up to pee in the middle of the night, I'd definitely want my bear spray with me. I had a friend get charged up there in the middle of the night. Her husband heard it and scared it away, but it freaked her out.

Also, if you really want to be safe against black widows, snakes, bears, etc, you can carry a spot, delorme, or an SAR beacon.
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I guess I've just been lucky to not have run into any yet. Or unlucky, I know some people love having large wildlife encounters, I prefer to leave them alone if they will leave me alone.

I am picking up a delorme inreach this year since I am planning on doing a fair bit of solo backpacking, it will give a lot of piece of mind to me and especially my wife.
 
andyjaggy said:
It does, look in the 2000's under black bear.
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I'm a dufus, I didn't even look that far down. I can't believe that was 7 years ago! It felt like last year. Thanks for catching that. Really sad story on that one.
 
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I've had black bears in my camp while car camping a couple of times. Trashed my camp in the middle of the day once. Really no big deal though. Last one was a few years ago in the La Sals. Middle of the night. I had a gun, but didn't ever feel the need to use it. As long as the bear doesn't try and get in my tent with me, I'm not going to make him bleed.

Have not bothered to get any spray for backpacking yet. Probably won't, until I head into grizz country.

But I think if you can shoot decent and have a little bit of experience with using your gun in fast action/high stress situations, the gun will be way more effective. But being able to shoot worth a crap, in a hurry, under stress, leaves out 99% of us that would be better off with the spray. I bring it up though because the only "bear" professional I personally know - he spent the early part of his carreer capturing and transporting "problem" bears in Maine and now works in grizz country in Wyoming - does not carry spray. He carries a .44 Magnum.

Backpacking Salt Creek next week, supposed to be a few black bear in there, I really hope we do get to see one.

- DAA
 
DAA said:
I've had black bears in my camp while car camping a couple of times. Trashed my camp in the middle of the day once. Really no big deal though. Last one was a few years ago in the La Sals. Middle of the night. I had a gun, but didn't ever feel the need to use it. As long as the bear doesn't try and get in my tent with me, I'm not going to make him bleed.

Have not bothered to get any spray for backpacking yet. Probably won't, until I head into grizz country.

But I think if you can shoot decent and have a little bit of experience with using your gun in fast action/high stress situations, the gun will be way more effective. But being able to shoot worth a crap, in a hurry, under stress, leaves out 99% of us that would be better off with the spray. I bring it up though because the only "bear" professional I personally know - he spent the early part of his carreer capturing and transporting "problem" bears in Maine and now works in grizz country in Wyoming - does not carry spray. He carries a .44 Magnum.

Backpacking Salt Creek next week, supposed to be a few black bear in there, I really hope we do get to see one.

- DAA
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I don't think you know a 'bear' professional. A professional would have bear spray, problem bears or not. I have posted somewhere on here the link on bear spray vs guns..... Spray is on top. My 2cents....
 
andyjaggy said:
I've hiked a lot in the Wasatch and haven't seen a bear yet. Which is fine by me. One word of comfort, there has only been 1 recorded bear death in Utah in the last 100 years. Just one. That was the boy in American Fork canyon several years ago who had food in his tent.
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From what I remember it wasn't the boy and his family who actually had food in their tent (they claimed to have kept a clean camp) but another group of campers in the same site the night before that had left accessible food in a cooler out in the open that the bear had tampered with and then slashed through their tent. Apparently it was reported, but no additional warnings were posted at the site, hence the lawsuit that ensued after the family that camped there the following night lost their son. Many thought the Forest Service should have immediately closed off the area until the bear could be successfully tracked and killed. While I do wonder if the boy had some food residue on his clothing that he slept in for the bear to aggressively drag him out and maul him, regardless, it was a sad story, especially given that the bear was supposedly invited into that site the night before by the irresponsible party who had left the cooler out.

andyjaggy said:
I am picking up a delorme inreach this year since I am planning on doing a fair bit of solo backpacking, it will give a lot of piece of mind to me and especially my wife.
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I plan to do that as well this year, especially if I am able to work out enough time off this August to give the Highline a go. I like the two way communication the Delorme offers, not only for updating my wife and sending out an SOS if needed, but it will also enable her to communicate back if an emergency occurs back at home.
 
The worst part is that his mom and her boyfriend next to him were so wasted that night they didn't even realize he was dead 'till the next morning.
 
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