My adoring Wife just slapped me up the side of the head. It's her subtle reminder that I have spent the last 45 minutes staring (again) at the opening video of the QuietJourney website and that tonight I darn well am NOT setting up my tent in the garage once more, let alone asking her to tie off the leech buckets. Oh, well, it's darn near April after all.
Actually the recent posts regarding bear and human interaction have got me to thinking; although, I can not answer for my fellow campers (Skip, especially) as I am unsure as to which category they might belong themselves.
I was heartened to experience the urging of the Quetico authorities for us travelers to carry those high pitched whistles (it seems only Skip can hear them at any great distance) and to carry bells on our gear. I have heard of others totin' along some pepper spray. I also urge an heightened awareness of bears within our camping precincts. The examination of bear spore is certainly crucial, especially if one wants to not only recognize the presence of bears, but, also, to differentiate among those which are benign, merely inquisitive or overtly aggressive. I have discovered that the more benign black bears leave small speherical spore that, upon crushing, are found to contain blueberry stained vegetable matter and mouse fur. The more aggressive bears deposit slightly larger spore that contain bells and whistles and smell of pepper spray. While I am content to share the wilderness with the former beasts, my discovery of the latter spore prompts me to head for Duluth and buy drinks for sailors as a much safer activity.
ICE OUT!

Posted by Rockhead on March 22, 2001 at 20:18