bear spray

i've always scoffed a bit at the idea of bear spray, despite having owned numerous cans in the past. i tended to view it as a device that made people too comfortable in the backcountry and if i went without, then i would be more prone to being careful and aware when walking through bear land. and then came the dogs, after which my awareness dropped to nil as the dogs took care of any bear long before i ever saw it, sticking the 'need' for bear spray far from the front of my mind and the old dented bear spray can towards the back of the gear closet.

recently, however, my dad gave me a short book about bear attacks and the outcomes for those both with and without bearspray. it outlined a few tales of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and while common sense will typically get you by on a regular day in the woods, the chance that it may not be a just a 'regular day' is always there. given that we see bears each and every day (typically more than one) and the recent discovery that one of my bat detectors had been chomped on by an ursus, i decided that it was about time i smarten up and started being responsible in the wild. as of this afternoon, i am a bear spray toting convert, a fact that will no doubt make my mom feel a little more comfortable as i am galavanting through the woods each night.

so there you have it, bug jackets to protect us from the mosquitoes, a newly bought shovel and a borrowed satellite phone to assist us with the mud holes on back roads, and bear spray to deter any bear that agressively comes along while the dogs are off chasing squirells which is sure to happen one of these days. i think i have finally reached the 'safety' level that is probably outlined by the university and by which i should have started the season with. let's just hope i don't have to use any of it.