Archive for November, 2010
Safe and Smart Behavior Around Bears
When you put yourself in a situation that you’re likely to see dangerous wildlife, you should be ready and prepared to defend yourself. If you’re an avid photographer, for example, and you travel to Alaska in search of bears, you should bring more than just your camera. You should also have a can of bear spray in case you inadvertently intimidate a bear, and you need to defend yourself in a quick and effective way.
People should be aware, however, that bear spray should only be used as a last resort. Smart behavior will lessen the likelihood of a bear attack. To that end, make sure that you make noise when you’re hiking. Bears fear humans, and if you make noises like a human, they are likely to stay away. Also, always properly store your food. This is perhaps the most important step. Never, ever keep food in your camping tents; rather, string it up in a safe and secure bear bag away from your tent. And, of course, keep your distance. Even if you’re going in for that perfect shot, you must put your safety above all else.
Tips for the Novice Hiker
When it comes to hiking, it’s important to reduce carried weight as much as possible. Having extra weight from unneeded supplies is one of the most common problems that affect hikers and backpackers. This unneeded weight could stem from carrying too much water, cooking supplies, or even clothing and accessories. As such, it’s important to seek out lightweight backpacking tents and other compact gear. While some amount of weight is necessary, it’s also important to know how to carry it.
Hiking backpacks are essential for hiking because of their design to distribute the weight in equal amounts between the upper and lower back. When a hiking backpack is snug to the back it means that the weight distribution is equal, and that the carried weight won’t have a huge effect on the hiker. It’s important to remove unnecessary supplies from the backpack as well, and remember to never carry items like hardbound books, cast iron cookware, and extra shoes.
Having a lightweight hiking backpack makes hiking all the more enjoyable, especially on those steep uphill inclines. In addition to carrying a light load, carrying a hiking stick will also make your journey easier and more pleasurable.