Thanks for the advice everyone. Seems like I should be alright if I am prepared and aware of my surroundings. It should be exciting running in such a beautiful area!
Thanks for the advice everyone. Seems like I should be alright if I am prepared and aware of my surroundings. It should be exciting running in such a beautiful area!
Take an epi pen. More people are killed in the wild by bees and wasps than large mammals.
bear whisperer wrote:
Have fun up there! I need to head back up there sometime soon.
Yeah, f*ck all of this. I had dreams about going up to Alaska and stuff too, but all of this sounds terrible. Bear charges? Curl up into a ball and let it rip out your innards? Even the moose are out for blood - early summer and fall (so pretty much anytime you want to be outside?). Sucks, man. Bears are a**holes.
I worked in a remote part of Alaska with a high concentration of bears for 6 months. I ran the airstrip because that was the only cleared ground. The airstrip was near a lake/river that was large enough for salmon to swim up, so there bears nearby. It always made me a little nervous to go for runs when I was up there. Carried bear spray most of the time. Just pay attention and not zone out like you can normally do when running most of the lower 48. Also ran a few days in Anchorage. Ran into two large bull moose and was about 10 ft away. Do not think you are any safer in any of the parks in Anchorage. I have heard of people getting attacked by black/brown bears.
Fear the moose, they get pretty big (not a photoshop)
http://www.baitshopboyz.com/forum/uploads/teebogr81/2009-06-23_091902_Giant_Moose2.jpg
Yeah that was the size of the moose I ran into. Big b@stards
west coast wrote:
furryfriend wrote:Where in Alaska are you going? You won't need to be too cautious as encountering aggressive bears is extremely rare. If you're lucky to see one, they'll be more afraid of you. But if you really want to, you can easily run with a can a bear spray.
Terrible advice, you need to be very careful, and you don't need to be "lucky" to see a bear in Alaska.
Bears living near people are more aggressive than bears in remote wilderness areas, and surprising a bear is incredibly dangerous no matter where you are.
Carry bear spray, know how to use it, and keep alert.
Typical letsrun response. Look buddy, aggressive bears ARE extremely rare up here. Like another posted said, there's a better chance of dying from bee stings or even being struck by lightning. The danger of bears is real, no doubt about it, but the significance of it is often blown out of proportion.
Just take some bear spray with you and have it easily accessible. I like to carry it in my hand so it doesn't bounce around.
If you're a runner more than likely you're a twink, no need to worry about attracting bears.
Better yet, watch Project Grizzly, 1996.
SierraSummits wrote:
Watch the Warner Herzog documentary, Grizzly Man.
Grizzly man wrote:
Always run with someone slower than you.
This ^
Also, try to make sure that it is someone who you don't really like all that much.
Do ALL RUNS with a fully-loaded AR15 and be vigilant.