Synopsis
Every hiker and camper who reads this book will be better prepared to hike in grizzly country and to actually encounter a grizzly bear. That’s because bear advocate Tim Rubbert shares the trail-tested techniques he has learned from hiking with grizzlies from Yellowstone to Alaska. Rubbert tells how to avoid bear encounters and how to react if you do encounter a bear. Important lessons cover making noise, remaining calm, staying together, retreating, and encountering surprised bears, habituated bears, bears with cubs, and bears on carcasses. The lessons are vividly illustrated with photographs of Rubbert’s bear encounters, and each encounter is critically analyzed to determine what happened and why. Readers will gain life-saving knowledge about how to use bear spray, including what happens when spray is used in real-world situations as Rubbert describes two backcountry encounters when he was forced to spray bears. These clearly explained hiking strategies, based on extensive personal experience, will help anyone travel in bear country with far greater safety and confidence.
About the Author
After receiving his B.A. degree in mathematics at the University of Minnesota and a J.D. degree from William Mitchell College of Law, Tim Rubbert went to work in the insurance industry where he became disillusioned with the corporate lifestyle. Since 1985 he has devoted his life to the study, observation, and photography of bears and grizzlies in particular. In the last 7 years alone, Tim has hiked more than 8,500 miles and experienced more than 800 grizzly sightings in the lower 48 states. During his extensive travels throughout bear country, Tim has made a point of: - Concentrating on backcountry observation with the goal of learning as much about grizzlies as possible with a minimum of intrusion. - Focusing his studies mainly in the Glacier National Park ecosystem which also includes the Great Bear Wilderness and the Whitefish Range. - Documenting numerous backcountry encounters with grizzlies. - Learning and teaching others about the proper use of bear spray, which he has had to use twice. - Performing volunteer work with the National Biological Survey, observing grizzly bears in Denali National Park, Alaska, in 1994. - Working with the Center for Wildlife Information, educating people on bear avoidance. Tim is presently conducting grizzly bear slide presentations and guided hikes at Big Mountain Resort near Whitefish, Montana, and has archived an extensive collection of grizzly bear and other wildlife and scenic photos. He also instructs classes at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell, Montana, on grizzly habitat and behavior. He lives in grizzly country in Montana.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
