Hi Krieser and Thorn,
I'm longwinded....forgive in advance!
This has been a most interesting thread, on several topics. I value the contributors here and find them (as a group) to be so knowledgeable and helpful, giving out just the kind of info that I'm interested in, weighing the pro's and con's of topics that i feel i need to consider. I also benefit from disagreement because it brings up many aspects of the subject, from people with vast experience. The piece that
ithink is MOST important is that mutual respect underlie the discourse. It's my belief that a strong opinion can be fully expressed without a slur to one's counterpart. Even better when a nod is given to the other's point of view.
Raising a glass to keeping the conversation going....great questions!
Thought I'd share a few things about our bear encounters at Glacier. Totally anecdotal but the experiences have shaped our behavior out there and how we approach bear spray. Last year with our 11 nights in the backcountry, we didn't see a single bear. The year before, 9 bears (which were a mix of black bear and griz).
That's the thing, ya just never know! Just to keep the instances separate, i think I'll number them and state if it was a surprise vs. expected.
1. By far over the years we've encountered the most bears on the Swiftcurrent Trail, sometimes pretty close to the cabins, several 1/4 mile up the trail by near Fishercap, then further out toward Redrock falls. We go in August and often at peak berry time. Huckleberry Shrubs line that trail and are all down by Fishercap. It's not unusual for several trails in the Many Glacier Valley to be closed at various times for 'Bear Frequenting'. What surprises me about some of these episodes is how FAST it happened...like a blur. They can come from deep in the shrubs (lower or higher) and i never heard or saw it until the quick dash across the trail. Mom can be followed by her cubs, all happening in a second or two. We've never felt stalked. We make enough noise in conversation or yelling out 'Hey Bear' that we've likely not surprised them. But what lingers is that if we were charged it could happen pretty quick, so both of us wear bear spray. And as Pete describes, on the chest strap of our Camels so that its easily accessible. While we expect there to be a bear presence, the surprise has been in how quickly. If you're hiking where there are a lot of ripe berries, don't be a stranger!
2. On the trail out to Kootenai Lakes from Goat Haunt, we were talking away and hiking at good pace, in shoulder high Cow
Parsnip. This BIG boy (or girl) popped that head up and just stared us down. Mike estimates it was 20 yards close. Soon we realized that Big boy was chewing away on the foliage and really had no interest in us. As we talked in low tones and backed away, Bubba went right back dipping his head to get more greens. Mike's concern in passing by was the possible presence of little cubs that we might not see. Again, using the voice in low tones, we passed without difficulty. It was our 1st Glacier surprise, not b/c it wasn't to be expected but in shoulder high foliage, you just can't see any distance at all. There are miles of this shoulder high vegetation in so many areas of the park. You wouldn't know Bubba was there until you were close, so make sure he/she knows
you are there.
3. Expected episodes. We always like to chat with the Rangers and find out where there have been regular sightings. Almost every year, you'll hear that there's a bear or two in the valley above Lake Ellen Wilson. So when we visited, and the Hucks were prime, we scanned the hillsides well in advance and could see bears a couple of times from a distance. These are the most enjoyable viewings b/c we feel at a safe distance and can observe for a long time. As the bears comb the hillsides rich in calories, one feels that they have just the food source they're really interested in.
4. Gunsight Lake and St. Mary Lake. While you're enjoying the beach, they may pop out to enjoy the beach too.
Both these episodes were black bear. And they were just alittle too interested in us. We started by backing away slowly, and then had to skidaddle abit more quickly. May be a good idea for only one person to swim at a time, let the other mind the beach. The Gunsight black bear followed up by raiding through the campsite area before a bunch of us made enough ruckus that it felt unwelcome.
5. Expected. We often like to drive the Many Glacier Road in the early morning or leaving in the evening, we scope out those hillsides and have often gotten a nice bear sighting. Have binocs at the ready. But if close to the hotels, try not to cause a Bear Jam by stopping in the road...really frowned upon.
6.Grinnell Glacier Trail...although we've never had an encounter there, we've read or heard accounts of such a serious nature that we initially elected to go with the Ranger Led Group. Felt very safe amongst some 25 individuals. In later years, realizing that so many depart the boat at the same time, we're almost never alone b/c we're not the fastest hikers. So there's a good people presence. Much of that trail (going up through the cliffs) doesn't have an easy exit off to the side. AND there's an occasional blind corner. We always make our presence known. Lotta "Hey Bear". Perhaps Pete would post his breathtaking video of Momma and her cubs coming down Grinnell Glacier Trail. One of my favorite videos of all time! Thank goodness he had a place to step off. Additionally, several reports over the years of people going to Grinnell Lake, taking off their packs, and getting scared off by a bear...then the bear gets food gratification. Disasterous news for the bear if it gets habituated to people.
7.Lastly, in the backcountry, we do feel more comfortable with each having bearspray. Whether one person is off to visit the Privy, each should be prepared for an encounter. Up at Helen Lake, we were the only campers there, so we were glad to both have spray in the unlikely event that a bear came back more than once. When in the tent, i feel better with both of us having the spray up close to our heads in terms of an unlikely visitor. At Glenn's, after morning photos at the lake, i returned to camp with a huge bull moose about 30 yards from our tent and he went through the other campsites also. I was glad to have some form of deterrent.
All anecdotes and not science but reiterates what the experts here have said. We make alotta noise and we both carry spray. At the end of the trip, we donate our spray at the Ranger Station which is always appreciated.
Thanks again for great questions and wishing you a terrific trip to Glacier! Tam