Tag Archives: Nature

Bear Safety: 20 Tips for Canadian Hikers and Campers in Bear Country

November 10, 2015 Red Hunt Leave a comment

Seeing bears in the wild is an amazing, heart-pumping experience for any outdoor or wildlife lovers. But, sometimes those encounters result in serious injuries or death, often because people are not prepared for how to properly deal with wild black bears and grizzly bears.

One thing that always annoys me when I’m talking to hikers or hanging out in parks is how dismissive experienced outdoors people are towards the dangers of black bears. I’ve heard countless people say black bears are push-overs, they’re timid, easily scared and nothing to be afraid of. This is true – usually. Most people will only ever see a black bear running away into the bush as they drive down a remote road, or perhaps see one running away after it hears them on a hiking trail.

So Black Bears aren’t dangerous, right?

That “fight or flee” instinct almost always results in a black bear fleeing from you before you ever see or hear it. But people become accustomed to seeing black bears in some national, state and provincial parks across the US and Canada. Too many parks have black bear issues where bears become habituated with humans as they leave garbage and food lying around campsites. Easy food for black bears, and potential problems. These bears lose their fear of humans, and humans also become accustomed to seeing bears close by, so we lose our fear of them.

Grizzly bears still have a reputation of fearsome animals, so hikers and campers in the Rockies and western US/Canada tend to have more respect for these bears. Still, I’ve seen too many people out west with an attitude that black bears are nothing to be scared of, whee they should really treat both species with respect.

The reality of bear attacks is that black bears and grizzly bears have killed about the same number of people across Canada and the US. Black bears are much more prevalent, so the percentage of encounters that result in injuries compared to brown bears (grizzlies) is much lower, but still nothing to take for granted!

In Canada, fatal bear attacks have occurred in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. With the two exceptions of Nunavut (polar bears only) and Yukon (grizzly bears only), all of these provinces and territories have had fatal black bear attacks.

Don't Mess With a Momma Bear and Her Cubs — Don’t Mess With a Momma Bear and Her Cubs

Depending where you are hiking or camping, the local authorities may have specific instructions about how to handle bear encounters. Whether it is black bears, grizzly bears, or even polar bears that are active where you’re going to be travelling, pay attention to the local rules. Some people say to throw rocks and stones and make lots of noise when encountering a black bear. Other authorities advise to simply stay quiet and slowly back away. Some people may tell you that grizzly bears can’t climb trees – but they can. When there are active bears in popular parts of most parks, the rangers will close off trails or park areas to avoid potential bear encounters. Don’t go exploring these areas, unless you’re looking for trouble.

Now that you hopefully understand that all wild bears are potentially dangerous, here are 20 tips on how to make sure you stay safe in bear country.

Grizzly Bear in Wyoming — Grizzly Bear – Did you know they CAN climb trees?

Bear Safety Tips for Campers and Hikers

1. DO. Listen to local park rangers and authorities. If there is a “trouble” bear, or active bears, in the area, they will advise you on what to do.

2. DO NOT. Run from any bear. Seeing you run away will often trigger the natural instinct to chase potential prey.

3. DO. Travel with bear spray, especially in brown bear territory. Be sure you know how to use it. It is the most effective deterrent to bear attacks.

4. DO NOT. Climb a tree. Contrary to popular belief, grizzly bears can climb trees almost as easily as black bears. They can both climb faster than you.

5. DO. In the backcountry, cook food and clean dishes 100 metres away from where you are sleeping at night.

6. DO NOT. Go to sleep wearing the same clothes you wore to cook your meals.

7. DO. Hike in groups and make noise to ensure you do not surprise any bears along the trail.

8. DO NOT. Approach any bear cubs. If you see cubs, chances are the mother bear is nearby, which means danger! Back away.

9. DO. Stash your food in provided bearproof containers, in your vehicle, or in a “bear hang” between two trees.

10. DO NOT. Think you’re safe if you have a gun. Bears that are shot rarely die quickly, and often result in deaths or injuries to their shooters.

11. DO. Treat your toiletries like food. Toothpaste and deodorant smells good to bears, store it away from your tent.

12. DO NOT. Bring your pets into bear country. If you do, always keep dogs on leashes. Unleashed dogs can lure bears to your campsite.

13. DO. Maintain a “bare” campsite. This means storing away all dishes, camp stoves, coolers, bug spray, bottles – anything that smells.

14. DO NOT. Burn or bury your food scraps, as bears will be able to smell this food. Eat everything or safely store it away from your tent.

15. DO. Consider an extra large tent. Some bears may bite at objects touching the side of a tent to determine if it is potential food.

16. DO NOT. Cook strong smelling foods, such as bacon. Cook more dehydrated and pre-packed foods with less odour.

17. DO. Walk around your camp area before setting up. If you notice bear markings, scat, animal trails, berry patches, then camp elsewhere.

18. DO NOT. Ever bring food into your tent, not even a small snack on a rainy day.

19. DO. Advise park authorities of your hiking /canoeing route if you are going into the backcountry.

20. DO NOT. Stare directly at bears that are watching you. They may think of this as a threat. You want to convince them you are not a threat.

Overall, most tips are the same for black bears or grizzly bears. Bears that are standing up on their hind legs, or making huffing and snorting sounds are generally just trying to get a better look at you. They make do a false attack, or bluff, which sort of looks like they are bouncing up and down as they approach you. Most likely after getting closer they will realize you are not a threat, and turn and leave you alone.

If you do get attacked by a bear, most authorities agree that “playing dead” may be your best chance for survival from a grizzly bear attack. Lie on the ground, cover your head with your arms, and hope the grizzly bear is satisfied with your lack of threat and doesn’t deem you as food. Fighting with a grizzly bear often results in the grizzly getting more aggressive.

Blurry Black Bear — This blurry Black Bear photo is from when a bear walked into my campsite as I was setting up a tent.

For black bears, if they do attack, it is generally best to fight back with everything and anything you can, as they are more likely to get intimidated and run if you pose a challenge. As for polar bears, if you encounter one of them…good luck.

Follow the tips above and you should be safe in bear country. Learn to use bear spray, and spot signs of bear activity. If you come across bear activity on a trail, it is always safer to turn around and back track, or take a detour to avoid the bear area.

Have you encountered bears at your campsite or when you’ve been out on the hiking trail? Do you have any additional bear safety tips to share?

Travel Articles

Sandbanks Provincial Park after Summer

November 6, 2015 Red Hunt Leave a comment

Visiting Ontario provincial parks during off-peak times is one of my favourite ways to get the best experiences from our natural wonders across the province.

In autumn, after the summer crowds have left, but parks are still open, there is a peacefulness, and quietness to our parks. You can often wander the trails in solitude and feel that you have the park to yourself.

As trees begin to change colour and lose their leaves, it makes it easier to spot creatures in the forest, or if you visit a park along migration routes, you may catch a glimpse of some migratory birds.

Canadian Geese at Sandbanks Provincial Park

I’ve been to Sandbanks Provincial Park more than once, as it’s conveniently located in Prince Edward County, just a couple of hours away from where I live. It’s also right on Lake Ontario, so it has a few beautiful beaches to explore, which makes up for the overall lack of challenging trails in the park. (There are 10km of trails, which are all still great, but relatively easy and short!)

Taking advantage of an unseasonably warm October day, we were off to Sandbanks to enjoy some sunshine and sand. The park was quiet, you could hear the rustling of the leaves in the trees, the distant honking of geese (instead of cars) and climbing the big sand dune was extra fun, as there were no other footprints in the sand. If you haven’t been to Sandbanks, well it is home to some of the best sand dunes in Ontario!

Climbing Sand Dunes at Sandbanks Provincial Park in Prince Edward County

One of the most interesting things I kept coming across, that I hadn’t slowed down to notice on a previous visit, was the perfectly circular patterns that plant were leaving in the sand.

Being blown around by the breeze off of the lake, grasses were creating miniature versions of what my imagination started calling crop circles. But in this case, they were sand circles. Just one of those wonders of nature. I’ve heard that nature doesn’t draw in straight lines or perfect circles before, but I’d have to argue against that now.

Picnic Table at Sandbanks — Sandbanks Provincial Park is Empty in October…

Being October, it was a little cooler along the beach, but the beauty of that was that it was deserted. Sure, I wasn’t planning to swim, but it was perfect for a run and a walk. Plus there were interesting animal tracks all along the beach, which had me wondering what creatures had explored this beach the night before, or earlier that day.

There was a large flock of geese hanging out off shore as well, seemingly getting ready to fly further south, and we also came across a huge gathering of ladybugs (ladybirds?) on the sand. There were thousands of them! Enough to make an area of the beach appear darker to the eyes, and make us curious as to what it was. It actually became a challenge not to step on any of them as we got closer and realized what it was. Strangely none of them were flying around, just walking on the sand. Perhaps because it was too windy for them!

Sand Circles in Sandbanks Park — The strange, but cool, sand circles at Sandbanks

Caterpillars, geese, ladybugs and more made for a fun autumn day at Sand Dunes Provincial Park. While the park was actually still open to camping, it seemed almost completely deserted. We saw a few other people on the beach (literally, three!) and a family arrived just as we were leaving. Definitely not the usual weekend experience at the park, but one I’d happily repeat any weekend.

Caterpillar at Sandbanks Provincial Park

Wildlife and Nature

The Caves of Gunung Mulu

April 8, 2013 Red Hunt 15 Comments

The World Heritage Area of Gunung Mulu in Malaysian Borneo is a rich rain forest that is short in comfort – save for the Royal Mulu Resort – but big on creatures and caves.

The caves at Mulu National Park bring travellers from around the world, most notably for the famous bat exodus from Deer Cave.

When I was spending time in Mulu I had the pleasure of checking out Deer Dave, along with Langs, Clearwater and Cave of the Winds caves. Each one had it’s own appeal and unique characteristics. But first, my favourite…as with most people who visit, was Deer Cave.

Deer Cave

This is a massive cave that boasts the largest cave entrance in the world! The walk into the cave is along a mountainside pathway, and you sort of come around a corner to the cave entrance, not getting to appreciate it’s full size until you’re inside it, looking back out. Cavernous is an appropriate word for Deer Cave.

The trail here is fun to walk along and spot odd formations from the carved out limestone cave, which once had a powerful river running through it. Your walk will take you to some cool spots in the cave like the Garden of Eden Pools.

It is also home to millions of bats that live high up above in the interior ceiling of the cave. There are also a ton of ugly critter like beetles and spiders, but you don’t really see them unless you shine your light into the darkness away from the footpaths. There is a viewing platform area way back down below that provides a panoramic view of the limestone mountain and cave entrance. People gather there around dusk to watch the millions of bats fly out of the cave.

Staring into the light (this is at Cave of the Winds)

Langs Cave

A much smaller cave, Langs Cave has the most impressive entrance way. It’s like a huge mouth opened up and put this cave on display As with Deer Cave and any other caves you visit in Mulu, don’t forget to bring a headlamp / torch with you as it can get dark in some areas inside the cave.

Lots of stalactites and stalagmites are found in this cave, which isn’t far from the larger Deer Cave. As with all of the caves you’re allowed to explore, there is a smooth pathway of boardwalks, staircases and platforms built inside the cave to keep you from touching (destroying) the sometimes fragile environment.

Inside Langs Cave — Headlamp required – checking out Langs Cave

Cave of the Winds

Located in a different, further away part of the park, getting to Cave of the Winds and Clearwater Cave is a fun hike. It’s not very strenuous, and you might spot butterflies, squirrels and other creatures along the 3.8km trail. Alternatively, you can take a longboat from the park headquarters early in the morning…but I’d suggest taking the hike at your own pace.

Mulu Hiking Path — Hiking trail to Cave of the Winds

At Cave of the Winds, you experience just that – a cool, windy cave. But also there are skylights high above the cave floor, allowing light to pierce through in sort of artistic fashion. When you’re not staring up in this cave, being impressed by it’s size, there are huge columns of calcite around in an area known as the King’s Chamber. Pretty cool stuff when you realize just how long it takes to create these structures!

Clearwater Cave

With plenty of stalactites ‘dripping’ down from the edge of the mountain along the entrance of this cave, you can get some photos in better light here. I made the mistake of forgetting my tripod when exploring the caves, so almost all of my interior photos turned out blurry and unusable!

Clearwater Cave is your place to relax, after exploring it’s network of paths. There is a river here that goes on for more than 170km underneath these mountains winding through various caves! It exists the cave nearby and you can go for a picnic and swim here – something you’ll cherish after spending a few hours in the sweltering heat and humidity of Borneo!

Each cave at Mulu showcases different types of structures or features so it really is worth spending a whole day exploring them. If you have extra time you can delve even deeper into the caves by doing some adventure caving at Turtle Cave or Lagang Cave.

Road Trips

Scenic Caves and Suspension Bridges

March 17, 2013 Red Hunt 6 Comments

Lover's Rest — The View from Lover’s Rest at Scenic Caves Nature Adventures

When it comes to road trips, I’m generally a fan of the bigger the better. But, sometimes a simple daytrip road trip is all you have time for.

A couple of hours north of Toronto is a place called Scenic Caves, located on Blue Mountain. The caves are found along the highest part of the Niagara Escarpment in Ontario and on a clear day from here you can see the bright blue waters of Georgian Bay, it’s a pretty sweet location! I’ve known about the Scenic Caves for many years but never visited until last summer.

The big draw here is, obviously, the caves. But they also have treetop trekking on suspended platforms and ziplines which are quite fun, plus you can walk across the longest foot suspension bridge in Ontario. (If you’re like me, then half the fun of suspension bridges is jumping around and trying to make them swing and sway!)

It was a fun day hanging out and exploring the caves that are still an important heritage site for the Huron and Petun peoples who once lived here.

With caves like Fat Man’s Misery and Ice Cave some places are naturally cold, while others are a tight squeeze to get through! (Although you can go around if you’re claustrophobic). Add in some interestingly shaped rock formations like Indian Chief and Ekarenniondi, some cool lookouts like Lover’s Rest, and you start to get an understanding that the area is more than just a series of rocky outcrops and caves. You can ‘see’ the history here when you stare out at the Indian Council Chamber, where Petun chiefs would meet in privacy. Signs and story boards along the nature trail help bring things to life, creating a nice mix of nature and culture.

Scenic Caves Nature Adventures — Going down towards Fern Cave

Rare ferns, including the Maidenhair Fern grow here as well. The only drawback is it can get pretty crowded around the tight spaces in the caves during summer, but it’s a fun day trip in Ontario and if you start early enough in the day, you can drive down to Wasaga Beach for lunch or a swim.

The 126m Suspension Bridge – Longest in Ontario

Wildlife and Nature

Getting Buggy in Borneo

February 22, 2013 Red Hunt 9 Comments

Are there bugs in Borneo? You bet!

They’re not really the scariest looking bugs though, in fact many of them are kind of cool looking, practically cute even. Well, except for the leeches, they’re pretty far from cute or cool…perhaps why I never bothered to get a picture of one.

I sense you’re doubting that some of the bugs of Borneo can be cute. Well, I already posted about visiting the Sepilok Orangutan Rehab Centre, which included an encounter with a very cute, but highly poisonous caterpillar. Then there was that strange, tree canopy bug that I posted about from my Treetop Skywalk post. Maybe that one isn’t so cute, but it’s definitely cool looking.

A Borneo bug — A red and black bug seen on the Silau Trail in Kanbalu Park in Bornoe

My favourite bug from Borneo has to be this red and black thing. The way it moved it had a friendly almost hypnotic motion to it, but you often hear that bright colours in nature mean danger, so I dared not touch this little guy, as cool as he looked.

Then there was the bad ass beetle that decided to hang out with us while we slept on the floor in a Iban Longhouse in Borneo. That so-close-to-bugs kind of creeped out a few people, but really, how much harm could a beetle do to you in your sleep? Just because it’s huge and has crazy looking pincher things…

Iban Longhouse Beetle — A badass beetle hanging out in my Iban Longhouse

I actually didn’t realize how many different bugs I came across in Borneo until after I came home. It wasn’t like they were everywhere, you did actually have to look for most of them, or when you did see them it was for a short time before they would fly away. So, don’t start thinking that Borneo is a buggy horror movie or something. It’s not like that, but it is a tropical island with plenty of forest, so – ya, there are bugs.

Some bugs in Borneo were similar to ones from home too. Like stick bugs! I saw so many stick bugs in Borneo, especially at Mulu National Park. Now I think it’s almost impossible to be scared of these, I mean they just look like sticks. It’s great camouflage and was a fun game to play walking along in the forest – try to spot the stick bug.

This one was one of the few I came across that was a bit out in the open instead of hiding under a tree leaf or blending into it’s stick and branch surroundings.

As for unknown, odd bugs, you see them in Borneo, often fleeting experiences as they fly by or zip away when you get too close. This odd red bug stood still long enough for a picture though. I’m not sure why so many bugs in Borneo seemed to have some kind of red colour to them, but it definitely makes them look cool…and this one has a bit of cuteness to it, right?

Little red bug — A little red bug in Borneo, seen in Mulu National Park

Now there was also a giant flying locust or something in our dorm room at the Mulu Park headquarters. For some time it was living on the wall near my bed and was about the size of a gecko, but with wings. You could hear it’s wings flap when it took off and landed -bzzzzzt. It was a bit on the creepy side, but still cool as I’d never seen a grasshopper-y, locust-y thing that big before even in the Caribbean or Africa.

Speaking of creepy, any bug post wouldn’t be complete without at least one kind of creepy bug photo right?

So, how about a millipede? But not a big black one or ugly brown one. No, how about a cool, skinny, long millipede that comes with awesome orange legs and a red/black stripey body? Oh ya, this one looks cool for sure, but I didn’t touch it either. Although, you do have to watch where you put your hands when walking around in the forests as the bugs and insects of Borneo do like to hang out on railings and board walks!

Red Hunt Travel