Bear Neccesities
As everyone who has spent some time in mountain wilderness knows, preparation will yield great pleasure and can even save lives.
Poles
Preparing for ‘four seasons in a few hours’ is a basic rule – proper trekking shoes or boots, emergency rations, water, extra layers among things to remember. For all ages, but especially the more ‘senior’, it is important to bring along trekking poles. Tough trails demand a lot from the legs and knees, and tired legs beget slips and trips.
On our World Trip we decided to take Lynne’s poles, foremost due to the injury she got back in January. They have proven invaluable, especially with a heavy rucksack.
On the trail, though, they are totally neccesary – wet, muddy, slippy roots, rolling stones, and a long way to get back, in case of a sprained ankle or worse.
Bears
We humans have encroached on their territory… the bears, that is, This area of the Rockies has grizzlies and black bears. They forage far and wide to nurture themselves with the nutrients and calories they need each day, and we, humans, often get into their way.
The message from locals is unequivocal – yes, if you are trekking, you must prepare to protect yourself. You must understand bear behaviour, and what to do, and more importantly, what NOT to do if you encounter a bear on the trail.
Bears are known for size, weight and strength – not so much for intelligence… Even if a bear feels threatened, it will normally go away, if you do the right things. However, if it also feels cornered, it might lunge at you.
The best is to avoid meeting one in the first place! Therefore the loud talking and singing, and keeping in groups. Using a spray is used as a very last resort.
A canister of bear spray reaches up to seven metres, and normally lasts up to 15 seconds. It should be deployed in a zig-zag motion, creating a ‘curtain’ between the bear and you. It doesn’t hurt the bear, but produces a stinging sensation in nose and eyes,
Believe us, when alone in the deep, deep forests, one thinks of bears a lot…!
Our first hikes
We were determined to do some proper hiking in the Rockies to compensate for a rather sedentary crossing on the Queen Elizabeth, and to start getting somewhat fit for our planned activities in Costa Rica, which were not too far away.
Peyto Lake and Bow Summit,
5.8km round trip, elevation 2100m, 15th June
A short walk on a gravel path, a 1.2km round trip, takes you to a viewpoint overlooking Peyto Lake in the Mistaya Valley. The viewpoint was thronging with people, but we then continued onwards, taking a trail leading to Bow Summit which was quiet.
We teamed up with a couple and their 8-month old baby, from Minneapolis on the way up, and a couple of local photographers on the descent. They originated from Wrocław in Poland, where Peter’s mother was born, although it was then in Germany. We felt more comfortable in a group of 4, as we didn’t have any bear spray at this point.
The trail followed a path through the forest, before opening out into the Alpine zone, where there were many boulders and stunning views. Visibility was marred by clouds and mist, exacerbated by the smoke from distant wildfires. Lynne took a rather vertiginous track to get a photo of Bow Lake, where a couple from Kentucky, celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary, suggested a great hike at Lake Louise (see Stage 36).
From Peter’s vantage at the earlier summit, you could see the mountains, snow and mist across the Icefields Parkway. It was amazing to think that, no matter how high, insurmountable and forbidding these peaks looked, none were higher than our ascent to Annapurna Base Camp in the Himalayas last October!
It had snowed overnight and was threatening to do so again, as we headed down.
Mistaya Canyon
1.5km round trip, elevation 1525m, 15th June
This is a short trail down from the car park. Although it was getting late in the afternoon, we felt reassured to have bear spray with us this time. The force of the Mistaya river has eroded a most magnificent route through the rocks. Mercifully the weather was dry, so we were able to climb on the rocks to get a closer view. This is definitely worth a short stop en-route.
That looked a lot better!