Bears

Just today I read another article about another jogger being attacked by a bear in Anchorage.

She was jogging (no doubt with her headphones on and oblivious to all around her) on a trail where at least three others have been attacked.

HELLO!!! I cannot believe anyone would be that dumb. But they are.

So guy wrote a letter to the editor complaining that there are just too many bears. He jogs the trails and cannot believe how many bears there are. My guess is that the number of bears is about the same. The big difference is the increase of clueless joggers who tune out their surroundings and run smack into bear country and then are surprised when a bear attacks.

This is just another example of clueless people moving through life at odds with the harmony of nature.

In all my years of hiking and fishing, I have never been close to a bear on any trail. That is because I make noise and avoid the most used bear trails. To me that is common sense. I guess that is something too many of us lack these days.

MT

Hello again

Well, it has been quite a while since I have posted. But then it's been a busy summer. Not a great summer, mind you. It has been cold and damp all summer. Really, there have only been a handful of days that were nice and only one or two that have been "beautiful".

That said, I have been busy fishing and camping in our little trailer. I have also resumed backpacking and have been going on hikes. It is great to get out and be outdoors, even if the weather is not the greatest.

I find it odd, though that there are people who go hiking with I-pods. To me, there is nothing better than the sounds of nature. Birds, the wind in the trees, the sound of a creek. I know, I know, that sounds so typical, but it is true. I can't understand why people want to shut that out with their toons.

Obviously, there are times when music comes in handy-at a crowded campsite, after a long day on the trail, etc. But for me, when I am backpacking, I want to hear the outdoors.