[pct-l] Thoughts on Bear Spray

[jjolson at uwyo.edu (Jeffrey J. Olson)]

I met up with a bear heading south up the drainage to the Rae Lakes Basin,
up from Vidette Meadows, where there were way too many people.

He was grubbing a log in the stream and he didn't see me until I "harumphed"
in a loud voice after backing up to the bend in the trail, 30' away.  He did
a literal double take and bounded away across the valley.

He started moving upstream 200 yards or so away from me, paralleling me on
the trail.  I let out a huge, loud and heartfelt roar that stopped him dead
in his tracks.  He literally cringed for a moment, turned slowly, keeping
his head toward me, and slunk down into the trees and disappeared.

I took great delight in telling the campers at the first lake there was a
bear not a half mile downstream...

Jeff Olson
Laramie WY, where it's still summer, waiting for the hammer to fall...