[pct-l] Fear of the dark

[C]

Ninja Turtle--->  UBSeRiOuS. :)

Sent from my iPhone

On Feb 7, 2013, at 9:20 PM, "A.C. Scott " <acscottthefirst at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Yes there is a full proof method of bear protection. Stay home!  My advice to all. Newcomers all first time Thru hikers. Don't do it.  -ninja tortoise 
> 
> Sent from Samsung Mobile
> 
> Scott Williams <baidarker at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> Great post Eric.  I love the night sounds.  After a long time on trail,
>> they are supremely reassuring.  Ah, it's night and I'm safe in the woods.
>> I never felt that way in cities.
>> 
>> Shroomer
>> 
>> On Thu, Feb 7, 2013 at 1:59 PM, Eric Lee <saintgimp at hotmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> C wrote:
>>>> 
>>> I'm seriously scared to death of the dark and the fact that there are
>>> animals that could rock my world...I hear a lot about protecting the bears
>>> but anyone have a fool proof way of not having bear encounters...so i got
>>> get messed with...i havent really been camping so where do i hide...how
>>> much
>>> smell is too much...i heard some people bring firecrackers?  Really??
>>>> 
>>> 
>>> You could remind yourself that the statistics are very much on your side.
>>> The continental US averages less than one (!) fatality per year due to
>>> bears.  Compare that to the ~20 per year due to domestic dogs, ~30 due to
>>> lightning, ~50 per year due to bees, or the ~32,000 fatalities per year due
>>> to automobiles.  In terms of objective risk, bears are way, way, *WAY* down
>>> on the list of bad things that could happen to you.  Black bears in the
>>> continental US are usually very shy animals and prefer to avoid
>>> confrontation.  You have to go seriously out of your way to provoke a black
>>> bear enough to be dangerous.  (There are extremely rare exceptions, like
>>> there are with everything, but they're so rare they don't matter in any
>>> practical way.  Grizzly bears are a separate issue, but you don't have to
>>> deal with them on the PCT.)
>>> 
>>> But numbers don't really matter when you're lying there in the dark, do
>>> they?  We humans are notoriously poor judges of absolute risk.  We'll
>>> cheerfully hurdle down a two-lane highway at 70 miles an hour, missing
>>> oncoming traffic by mere feet, implicitly trusting that the other guy isn't
>>> going to sneeze at the wrong moment . . . then twitch at every little sound
>>> when we're safely on the trail and away from those death-trap machines.
>>> We're way too comfortable with familiar risks (even if they're actually
>>> quite dangerous) and way too terrified of unfamiliar risks (even if they're
>>> really quite benign).
>>> 
>>> So knowing that, the best thing you can do is practice.  I'm not naturally
>>> comfortable with the dark myself, but living in Seattle and having a
>>> full-time job and family, most of my training hikes this time of year occur
>>> in the dark.  Over time I've slowly gotten more accustomed to the dark and
>>> these days, while I can't say that I really enjoy the night, I'm ok with
>>> it.
>>> 
>>> Try going out to a trail (or park, or whatever is practical for you) around
>>> dusk, find a comfortable place to sit, and just let the darkness fall
>>> around
>>> you.  Listen to the natural nighttime noises, enjoy the smells, and
>>> discover
>>> how much you can actually see once your eyes adjust.  If you practice that
>>> awhile you'll be more familiar with the dark and your fear will subside.
>>> If
>>> we can't conquer our stupid irrational risk assessment circuitry, at least
>>> we can make it work in our favor.  :-)
>>> 
>>> Eric
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
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