ie fy. nA the NEWS photo Mike Waketield THE NORTH Shore mountains are home to a high population of black bears, and if you do a lot of hiking in the area you're bound to encounter one eventually. Tips for avoiding bears on THE IDEAL way to observe a bear is through binoculars or a telephoto lens. The simplest way to avoid a mutually frightening confrontation on the trail is to announce your presence in ad- vance. To that end: G Wear a “bear bell."’ Attach metal objects (carabiners or almost anything will do) to your knapsack or belt so they clink and clank as you walk. Bears sensibly dislike unnatural sounds and have excellent hearing. @ Taik loudly, or if you run out ‘of witty repartee, sing. A few choruses of The Happy Wanderer ('ValderEE! ValderAH!") by a choir that couldn’t carry a tune with a back-hoe wil! clear the area not only of bears but probably of other hikers as well. If you must take your dog, keep it leashed. Fresh bear scent is almost irresistible to most dogs, who will track it to its source, ig- noring commands to heel. Bears detest dogs and despite their deceptively lazy amble, can out- tun one when provoked. Your dog will run to you for protection. Enough said? This should go without saying: DON'T FEED THE BEARS. If you're carrying food, wrap it al/ ‘JACK, WHATS that?” By John Moore Contributing Adventurer We had just climbed down a long, unstable, patience-trying scree slope from Crown Pass into Hanes Vailey, en route to Lynn Headwaters from Grouse Moun- tain, and I was bent over my rucksack rustling up lunch. From the unnatural calm in Her Nibs’ voice, | gathered the ques- tion was rhetorical. She knew perfectly well what it was and, without turning around, so did J. “A bear,” | snapped, hastily re-sealing the grub and resigning myself to a tete a tete with a slobbering, fanged and red-clawed behemoth; the ursus horribilus of the collective human imagination. It was worse. It was the one thing a hiker hopes never to en- counter: a lone cub on a rock apron 50 metres (165 feet) away and six metres (20 feet) above the trail. No sight or sound of Mama hiking trails in plastic wrap and seal it in Tup- perware containers as well to minimize its impact on the sen- sitive nose of a peckish bruin. The rule “if you can pack it in full, you can pack it ont empty” is more than an anti-litter slogan. Giving bears a taste for human garbage can only lead them into possibly fatal trouble. If, despite all precautions, you find yourself nose to nose with a bear, don't run. Back away slowly and steadily. It’s unlikely the bear will approach you, but if it does, a loud ‘‘Scat!’’ is usually both ef- fective and doubly appropriate, under the circumstances. a Ragfinders has always gone to great lengths to offer you the finest selection of decorat- ive fabrics. Now, we're going the whole nine yards. From June 5~19 we're cutting prices on all bolts of material under nine yards. It means great savings for you and more space for us. So visit either one of our convenient locations soon as quantities are limited. One yard minimum cuts! DECORATIVE FABRICS North Vancouver, 1180 Marine Drive, 986-1906 Kerrisdale, 2045 West 4Ist Avenue, 266-3611 Monday - Saturday, 9:30— 5:30pm; Sunday, Noon ~ 5pm SREPEPEE SURED Woke June 6, 1993 - North Shore News - 23 ountain areas Bear; a situation in which no news is definitely not good news. As calmly as possible, | pointed oul to another hiker, blithely picking salmonberries from the irailside thickets below, that there was a bear above him, looking about for its mum. “That must've been her 1 scared off the trai! a minute ago. She went that way.” He pointed into the thick brush downhill, which placed us directly between a cub and its mother, who was no doubt still nearby, growing more anxious and angrier with every moment of separation. I expressed this to him literally ‘in passing’? as we hot-footed it down-trail and out of the one sit- uation most likely to cause violent confrontation between humans and the otherwise placid ursus americanus: the black bear. Spring has well and_ truly Sprung, the grass has risen and so have the bears from their winter snooze. They are hungry (so would you be if you hadn’t had a meal in a couple of months), and the re- maining snowpack on local moun- tains may drive them to lower altitudes in search of brunch. Some of the females will have arisen with a couple of extra little mouths to feed. The North Shore mountains are home to a fairly high population of black bears and if you do a lot of hiking you’re bound to en- counter one eventually. “Home” is the operative word here: it’s their home, and hikers should always remember they are guests and behave accordingly. Encountering wildlife can transform a pleasant forest walk poayenen into an exciting adventure, but what is chrilling for you is usually a source of fear and distress to the animal. Stepping in a fresh, steaming bear scat early one morning in a high Lynn Headwaters meadow, it occurred to me that | might react quite differently if someone stomped into my bathroom at such a2 moment, particularly if. 1 weighed 500 Ibs. (225 kg} and had claws. The bear had = simply vanished. Persistent aggressive behavior by a bear should be reported to conservation officers at 465-4011 with a minimum of hyperbole. Don’t make the bear suffer for your lurid story-telling. A final unpleasant note: you may have seen news reports of the poaching of black bears and the underground trade in bear body parts. This unconscionable traffic is both reprehensible and very il- legal. The RCMP and conserva- tion officers would love to wrap the long arms of the law around anyone involved, If you find a bear carcass, hear shots or see armed individuals, particularly in park or watershed areas, don’t attempt to investigate yourself. Report their description and location to the RCMP and conservation officers as quickly as possible. Always carry binoculars and scan the meadows and creek beds where berry thickets are abundant. If you’re lucky enough to. see bears, particularly a mother and cubs, back off to a safe distance and enjoy the ‘‘teddy bears’ pic- nic’? as you enjoy your own.