Submitted February 22nd, 2020
by dal
I can tell it’s close to spring because I am getting questions from searchers about bears in their search area…and what precautions to take to be safe…
Most of those concerns are about the Yellowstone/Teton area or about the Glacier area.
Since 1979, Yellowstone has hosted over 118 million visits. During this time, 44 people were injured by grizzly bears in the park. For all park visitors combined, the chances of being injured by a grizzly bear are approximately 1 in 2.7 million visits.
That all sounds pretty good unless you are the one in 2.7 million visits…and your chances of being that one person are exactly as good as everyone else’s chance….
However, you can take some precautions to minimize your likelihood of being the one…
I believe the best precaution is to be sensible about where and when you search. It seems unlikely that Forrest, who planned this chase for families and whose intent it was to get kids outside and having fun in the outdoors, would hide the chest in any kind of “dangerous” location…including a known grizzly bear riddled location.
Next, if grizzly bears are known to inhabit the area you are headed into, check with the rangers the day before, or the morning before you search. Ask if there have been any grizzly bear sightings in the area. They will warn you if there have been sightings…then you should reevaluate your plans…
Finally, before you head into any area where bears or lions frequent, make sure you don’t search alone. Make noise while you hike and carry bear spray.
Speaking of bear spray…make sure you know how to use it…
Bear spray is pretty useless tucked away in your pack and not a lot more useful if you have not practiced with it. You need to have armed the can and pressed the trigger once to see how it works before you need it. Then, unarm the can and keep it handy when you hike.
A very bad time to be reading the instructions is when you need to spray a bear…
But safety in the mountains…even in our national parks should be of concern to any searcher. Here are some statistics to get you thinking about safety..
Every year, more than 318 million people visit America’s 419 National Park System sites, including designated National Parks, National Lakeshores, National Monuments, National Historic Sites and National Seashores.
An average of six people die each week in the national park system, a figure that includes accidents like drownings, falls, as well as motor vehicle crashes, natural causes such as heart attacks and suicides. Drowning, automobile accidents, falls and suicides are among the top causes of death at national parks.
And the number one cause is automobile accidents. Folks rarely drive fast in national parks…but they do drive distracted. Running off of the road or crossing into oncoming traffic lanes are common problems in national parks…
So be careful out there…deadly encounters with wildlife are rare…but there are many other ways to hurt or kill yourself in the mountains…
The Boy Scouts have it right…”Be Prepared”!
