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Bears in Yosemite / Sequoia / Kings Canyon
I will be visiting the aforementioned NPs in the beginning of July; on
my own (unfortunately). Apart from a bear-bell and pepper-spray, should there be other things I should carry with me in order to be prepared for a bear encounter? Is hiking on your own absolutely not recommended? (I will not be hiking into the backcountry, just nice day-hikes) Anyone else in the area in that period (Sequoia & Kings Canyon NP : 7th of July - 8th of July; Yosemite : 9th of July - 11th of July), planning to hike and willing to arrange a hike with me? Kind regards, Niels |
#2
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Bears in Yosemite / Sequoia / Kings Canyon
On Jun 29, 8:31 am, Niels wrote:
I will be visiting the aforementioned NPs in the beginning of July; on my own (unfortunately). Apart from a bear-bell and pepper-spray, should there be other things I should carry with me in order to be prepared for a bear encounter? Is hiking on your own absolutely not recommended? (I will not be hiking into the backcountry, just nice day-hikes) Anyone else in the area in that period (Sequoia & Kings Canyon NP : 7th of July - 8th of July; Yosemite : 9th of July - 11th of July), planning to hike and willing to arrange a hike with me? Kind regards, Niels The only thing you need to worry about is running into other hikers on the trails. Just don't leave food in your car. |
#3
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Bears in Yosemite / Sequoia / Kings Canyon
Niels wrote in news:1183131102.705426.119050
@u2g2000hsc.googlegroups.com: I will be visiting the aforementioned NPs in the beginning of July; on my own (unfortunately). Apart from a bear-bell and pepper-spray, should there be other things I should carry with me in order to be prepared for a bear encounter? The bears in this area are vegetarians. They have been known to tear up campsties looking for food, but they are not likely to attack people unless you scare or threaten them (or their children). Same goes for deer and other wild animals. Skip the pepper spray. Rocks have a longer range and are readily available in the mountains. |
#4
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Bears in Yosemite / Sequoia / Kings Canyon
sally wrote in :
The bears in this area are vegetarians. They have been known to tear up campsties looking for food, but they are not likely to attack people unless you scare or threaten them (or their children). Same goes for deer and other wild animals. Skip the pepper spray. Rocks have a longer range and are readily available in the mountains. P.S. I'm sure more hikers in Yosemite are killed by SUVs than by bears. Be very careful when crossing the streets since tourist drivers are very careless. Also, be careful of streams and lakes since several people drown every year (including falling off of waterfalls right next to the danger sign). |
#5
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Bears in Yosemite / Sequoia / Kings Canyon
sally wrote:
Niels wrote in news:1183131102.705426.119050 @u2g2000hsc.googlegroups.com: I will be visiting the aforementioned NPs in the beginning of July; on my own (unfortunately). Apart from a bear-bell and pepper-spray, should there be other things I should carry with me in order to be prepared for a bear encounter? The bears in this area are vegetarians. Uh, no. They're omnivores, but they rarely, if ever, attack humans unless provoked. But the bears will raid one's camp (or parked car) at night, especially if one didn't store away their food properly. - Peter |
#6
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Bears in Yosemite / Sequoia / Kings Canyon
Niels wrote:
I will be visiting the aforementioned NPs in the beginning of July; on my own (unfortunately). Apart from a bear-bell and pepper-spray, should there be other things I should carry with me in order to be prepared for a bear encounter? Is hiking on your own absolutely not recommended? (I will not be hiking into the backcountry, just nice day-hikes) Anyone else in the area in that period (Sequoia & Kings Canyon NP : 7th of July - 8th of July; Yosemite : 9th of July - 11th of July), planning to hike and willing to arrange a hike with me? Kind regards, Niels The California Grizzly hasn't been seen or heard from in the past 80 years, so I wouldn't worry about those. And in regards to the American Black Bear that do live in the Sierras, I wouldn't really worry about those while doing day hikes. They generally avoid humans during the day -- just don't get between a mother bear and her cubs. And if you're camping, be sure to store away not just your food, but other scented items (like toothpaste) properly in bear proof storage lockers provided at most campsites, otherwise store them in bear proof canisters. Also NEVER leave any food (or scented items) in your car overnight too. What you should be more concerned about is running into a hungry mountain lion. While mountain lion attacks are rare, they will attack a lone hiker (or jogger) unprovoked, especially smaller sized people. If actually attacked by a mountain lion, the best defense is to fight back. Having a strong hiking stick could come in handy in your defense. The other predator you need to worry about while hiking in the Sierras in July is the mosquito! During most summers, especially in June and July, there will be very large swarms of them up in the high country just waiting to suck some blood from you. Fortunately, it has been reported that because of the dry winter and spring, that there are far fewer mosquitoes lurking about this summer than summers past. Still, carry and use as needed a good mosquito repellent like 3M Ultrathon. - Peter |
#7
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Bears in Yosemite / Sequoia / Kings Canyon
In article ,
sally wrote: sally wrote in : The bears in this area are vegetarians. They have been known to tear up They are omnivorous. campsties looking for food, but they are not likely to attack people unless you scare or threaten them (or their children). Same goes for deer and other wild animals. Skip the pepper spray. Rocks have a longer range and are readily available in the mountains. Yosemite NP no longer encourages the throwing of rocks at wildlife, since the members of a Boy Scout troop stoned an adolescent bear to death. While the incident is regarded as an accident by the local judge, resorting to smaller rocks may be a deterrent. P.S. I'm sure more hikers in Yosemite are killed by SUVs than by bears. Be very careful when crossing the streets since tourist drivers are very careless. Also, be careful of streams and lakes since several people drown every year (including falling off of waterfalls right next to the danger sign). Glen Denny's photo of Chuck Pratt juggling and balance walking the railing at the top of Vernal Fall (300+ ft). is on the Patagonia web site. -- |
#8
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Bears in Yosemite / Sequoia / Kings Canyon
In article . com,
Niels wrote: I will be visiting the aforementioned NPs in the beginning of July; on my own (unfortunately). Apart from a bear-bell and pepper-spray, should there be other things I should carry with me in order to be prepared for a bear encounter? Good sense. Just don't corner one. Keep a clean camp/car. Is hiking on your own absolutely not recommended? (I will not be hiking into the backcountry, just nice day-hikes) Depends how experienced you are. If you are small frame, mountains lions are likely to be a problem at lower elevations. They have been reported in West. Do not step on rattlesnakes. Anyone else in the area in that period (Sequoia & Kings Canyon NP : 7th of July - 8th of July; Yosemite : 9th of July - 11th of July), planning to hike and willing to arrange a hike with me? I'm doing Tower or Merced peaks with my climbing partner just slightly earlier. -- |
#9
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Bears in Yosemite / Sequoia / Kings Canyon
"Niels" wrote in message ups.com... I will be visiting the aforementioned NPs in the beginning of July; on my own (unfortunately). Apart from a bear-bell and pepper-spray, should there be other things I should carry with me in order to be prepared for a bear encounter? Is hiking on your own absolutely not recommended? (I will not be hiking into the backcountry, just nice day-hikes) Anyone else in the area in that period (Sequoia & Kings Canyon NP : 7th of July - 8th of July; Yosemite : 9th of July - 11th of July), planning to hike and willing to arrange a hike with me? Kind regards, Niels The main precaution you need to take is to make plenty of noise, bears dont like surprises but if they know your coming they'll clear out. Keith |
#10
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Bears in Yosemite / Sequoia / Kings Canyon
On Jun 29, 10:31 am, Niels wrote:
I will be visiting the aforementioned NPs in the beginning of July; on my own (unfortunately). Apart from a bear-bell and pepper-spray, should there be other things I should carry with me in order to be prepared for a bear encounter? Is hiking on your own absolutely not recommended? (I will not be hiking into the backcountry, just nice day-hikes) Anyone else in the area in that period (Sequoia & Kings Canyon NP : 7th of July - 8th of July; Yosemite : 9th of July - 11th of July), planning to hike and willing to arrange a hike with me? Kind regards, Niels I don't think the risk is very high- unlike Yellowstone, with its fairly dangerous grizzlies, CA only has black bears, which are much less aggressive. The main thing you don't want to do is leave food in your tent or in your car. The Yosemite bears are very used to people and have learned to tear cars open like tin cans if they see goodies inside (I've seen some pretty spectacular photos of the resulting damage). Plus, if the rangers see a parked car with a mere candy bar in the front seat, it will get towed (this happened to someone when I was there). |
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