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| Look, Ma — SUN! and CALM! On the way back to Waterton NP. |
I had several things in mind that I wanted to do: (1) there were some letterboxes to find that looked pretty easy, (2) there was the interpretive hike with one of the park guides on "Bears and Blooms" that would deal with bears, bear behavior and helping participants to become more comfortable hiking in bear country, and (3) there was a geochacheing activity that looked like fun.
No letterboxes
Unfortunately, I didn't find any of the letterboxes. There were supposed to be two near the Prince of Whales hotel. The hotel is in a gorgeous spot, a diamond solitaire in at jewel-like setting. The nice thing about letterboxing is that it gets you to these pretty spots, so that even if you don't find the "prize" you still have a good time because you go to a lovely or interesting site that you might not have visited otherwise.
And it is always amusing to be slightly off trail and not have people notice you!
And it is always amusing to be slightly off trail and not have people notice you!
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| Setting off towards Red Rock |
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| Hiking in Waterton |
Bears & Blooms hike
I made it to the meeting place promptly at 9am. There were about 15 people on there, and then a big family from Chicago joined us, so we were quite a group.
Our guide, Dylan, first showed us a bunch of different skulls: deer, wolf, mountain lion, black bear and grizzly. We looked carefully at the structure of the skulls, taking particular care to note the, uh, dentition. He pointed out that the deer have flat grinding teeth, whereas the wolf and mountain lion have particularly large fangs, and sharp back teeth, since they are predators and need those sharp teeth to rip, tear and chew meat.
He then pointed out that the bears have teeth much like our own, which combine both sharp canines and flat molars because we are omnivorous. The group took this in seriously, with a few nervous laughs.
We all also digested the difference in size between the black bear and the grizzly. The grizzly skull was substantially bigger and heavier; maybe even denser. Opening up the jaw on that thing was pretty sobering.
Dylan talked about the importance of assessing the KIND of bear that you see: black bears are much more shy and likely to "run away and hide" whereas grizzlies are more aggressive. They don't need to hide, and are more apt to be protective of their cubs, a carcass, or just space.
I've always been a little unclear about this, especially some of the things you're supposed to look at (grizzlies have longer claws, but who is going to see that until they are almost on you?)! So here's what I learned:
BLACK BEAR:
- sloping back (no hump)
- straight face
- tall ears
- short claws
- (not reliable: both bears have color variations)
GRIZZLY BEAR:
- humped back
- concave "dish" face
- short round ears
- looooong claws
- (not reliable: size)
WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO:
From afar:
- assess the type of bear, if you can
- give the bear space (see what they're doing)
- observe if there are any other bears (cubs)
- speak to the bear to let them know you're in the vicinity
Our guide, Dylan, first showed us a bunch of different skulls: deer, wolf, mountain lion, black bear and grizzly. We looked carefully at the structure of the skulls, taking particular care to note the, uh, dentition. He pointed out that the deer have flat grinding teeth, whereas the wolf and mountain lion have particularly large fangs, and sharp back teeth, since they are predators and need those sharp teeth to rip, tear and chew meat.
He then pointed out that the bears have teeth much like our own, which combine both sharp canines and flat molars because we are omnivorous. The group took this in seriously, with a few nervous laughs.
We all also digested the difference in size between the black bear and the grizzly. The grizzly skull was substantially bigger and heavier; maybe even denser. Opening up the jaw on that thing was pretty sobering.
Dylan talked about the importance of assessing the KIND of bear that you see: black bears are much more shy and likely to "run away and hide" whereas grizzlies are more aggressive. They don't need to hide, and are more apt to be protective of their cubs, a carcass, or just space.
I've always been a little unclear about this, especially some of the things you're supposed to look at (grizzlies have longer claws, but who is going to see that until they are almost on you?)! So here's what I learned:
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| This is the trail; easy to surprise a bear! |
- sloping back (no hump)
- straight face
- tall ears
- short claws
- (not reliable: both bears have color variations)
GRIZZLY BEAR:
- humped back
- concave "dish" face
- short round ears
- looooong claws
- (not reliable: size)
WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO:
From afar:
- assess the type of bear, if you can
- give the bear space (see what they're doing)
- observe if there are any other bears (cubs)
- speak to the bear to let them know you're in the vicinity
Along the trail:
- make noise. Yell "Hey bear" especially around blind curves or in brush
- be aware: if you smell a dead thing, be hyper-aware!
If you meet (surprise) a bear on the trail:
- stop
- speak to the bear in a calm voice
- try to appear as large as you can, but unthreatening:
- raise your hands over your head
- if you have one, pull your jacket out with your arms
- do NOT make eye contact
- slowly back away or, even better, off the trail if you can
- at this point you will probably want to have your bear spray out of the holster; observe wind direction
The bear may charge (bluff charge):
- DO NOT RUN
- continue to back away slowly
If the bear attacks:
- fall to the ground and play dead
- lock your hands over the back of your neck
- turn on your stomach or side (back to the bear) and let your backpack protect your back
If the bear really is eating you:
- then fight back
Dylan said that he's seen a lot of bears in the backcountry; he's also worked in the parks in British Columbia. Interestingly, he said the bears there were MUCH larger, he thinks because they have a better diet with all the fish (salmon) they can eat. Also, the black bears in Waterton/Glacier have well-developed humps because of all the digging that they do, so "hump-ness" is not a particularly good indicator of bear type here.
This was not particularly comforting, but since you treat all bears basically the same, it probably doesn't matter. The real difference is in how they treat YOU.
In his experience:
- He's never fired his bear spray, except to test it.
- No groups of people (4-6) have ever been attacked.
- In Waterton, there have not been any bear attacks in a long time.
All in all, it was a good experience. I think if you keep to best practices (make noise), be very aware, keep your dog on a leash, and stay in groups, there won't be a problem.
Of course, my issue is the last one (being in groups). I guess if I want to hike, I'll hang out at a trailhead and try to hook up with some other people. The Wikipedia list of (fatal) bear attacks pretty much bears (sorry for the pun) this out.
- make noise. Yell "Hey bear" especially around blind curves or in brush
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| Wildflowers! |
If you meet (surprise) a bear on the trail:
- stop
- speak to the bear in a calm voice
- try to appear as large as you can, but unthreatening:
- raise your hands over your head
- if you have one, pull your jacket out with your arms
- do NOT make eye contact
- slowly back away or, even better, off the trail if you can
- at this point you will probably want to have your bear spray out of the holster; observe wind direction
The bear may charge (bluff charge):
- DO NOT RUN
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| Sticky geranium |
If the bear attacks:
- fall to the ground and play dead
- lock your hands over the back of your neck
- turn on your stomach or side (back to the bear) and let your backpack protect your back
If the bear really is eating you:
- then fight back
Dylan said that he's seen a lot of bears in the backcountry; he's also worked in the parks in British Columbia. Interestingly, he said the bears there were MUCH larger, he thinks because they have a better diet with all the fish (salmon) they can eat. Also, the black bears in Waterton/Glacier have well-developed humps because of all the digging that they do, so "hump-ness" is not a particularly good indicator of bear type here.
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| Alberta really is wild rose country |
In his experience:
- He's never fired his bear spray, except to test it.
- No groups of people (4-6) have ever been attacked.
- In Waterton, there have not been any bear attacks in a long time.
All in all, it was a good experience. I think if you keep to best practices (make noise), be very aware, keep your dog on a leash, and stay in groups, there won't be a problem.
Of course, my issue is the last one (being in groups). I guess if I want to hike, I'll hang out at a trailhead and try to hook up with some other people. The Wikipedia list of (fatal) bear attacks pretty much bears (sorry for the pun) this out.
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| Blakiston Creek and Waterton NP peaks. |
Drawing again!
There were a number of things I could have done after the hike in the morning, but given the whole "hike in groups" thing, I decided NOT to go up Bear's Hump, a popular hiking trail.I tried (and failed) to find another one of the letterboxes near a picnic spot on the lake. It was such a pretty spot that I decided to get out the Inktense pencils and try drawing with them.
There were lots of families here — on a Saturday afternoon with sunny weather, everybody was out BBQing, playing games, talking, kayaking and canoeing, paddleboarding, and just generally having a good time in the park.
The drawing was another fun exercise. I think this is only the third drawing I've done with these. Again, I'm not really "done" as I would like to even out some of the strokes — I got a little hurried and just wanted to go. There are always issues with changing light, so at a certain point it doesn't pay to stay. Plus, I had to check in at my motel at Ft. McCloud — first time under a roof since Salmon, Idaho!
I learned:
- better paper would help: what I used was awfully wrinkly and tore with the application of water
- the most successful parts have multiple applications of color, but it has to dry in between, so is best to do on a dry day (or use an iron)
- a better setup than on a gravel beach would help
• it was hard to see the difference in color in the pencils
• lighter washes would be good (wasn't really set up to do that on this drawing)
- wear glasses (duh)
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| Waterton Lake drawing; unfinished (Inktense pencil) |
On to Ft. McCloud and getting some work done!
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