[pct-l] Bear Repellant

[chelin at teleport.com (Sharon & Chuck Chelin)]

Good morning,

We have all seen the mosquito repellent that comes in an aerosol can.  To
keep the pesky little buggers off, you just spray yourself all over with the
stuff.  Everybody knows that, right?  OK, hold that thought.

In a recent issue of Outdoor Life magazine there was an article about bears,
with a sidebar bit about how to avoid bear attacks.  In it they mention the
bear spray that is widely available.  You know the stuff:  It is big, about
the size of a can of Raid, it has sort of a pistol grip and a trigger, and
it will shoot a heavy stream of weapons-grade pepper spray 20-30 feet to
stop a charging, 1000 lb. bear.  The whole can empties in about 5 seconds,
so it is serious stuff.
The article cautions the reader to use it properly, citing an Alaska tourist
who got a can of bear spray before going into the woods.  Do you want to
guess what he did with it?  That's right, he hosed himself down with the
pepper spray to keep the bears away!

The bears would probably love that.  All they would have to do is chase this
guy up the trail a half a mile or so and then enjoy a gigantic, piping-hot,
jalapeno popper.

Steel-Eye