rick stoehrer Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 dang bears....(note - clip IS NOT FROM GRIZZLYMAN - SAFE TO WATCH/HEAR) Grizzly Man like results are unlikely....Treadwell as portrayed in that documentary was by all appearances a bit of a loon. Warren, if you see a bear refrain from calling him/her anything along the lines of "bearsy-wearsy" or anything like that - that fella did that and it just didn't work out.FWIW, I've seen that documentary and it brings to mind that there are things you can't "unsee" or "unhear". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 http://www.google.com/maps/about/behind-the-scenes/streetview/treks/churchill-canada/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josko Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 http://www.google.com/maps/about/behind-the-scenes/streetview/treks/churchill-canada/ Those bears seem very friendly... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Millar Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Err, I believe the Inuit name for polar bears is "bear who hunts man". Notice the enormous size of the Tundra Buggy. Notice scientists well inside said buggy.Beautiful animals, as are grizzlies. And, as I'm morbidly afraid of bears, any bears, best viewed from a distance with binoculars or a long, long camera lens.Deb M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted February 27, 2014 Author Share Posted February 27, 2014 Wow! Our community of paddlers is really facinated with bears! Who would have guessed!Hey Rick, thank you for the heads-up to nix the phrase "bearsy - wearsy around our furry friends. I crossed it off my list. I still have "Hey Yogi, where is your buddy Boo Boo?" That seems nice enough!On a lighter note, I did enjoy reading the two articles (see previous posting on this thread) written by Tom Pogson and published in Ocean Paddler magazine. The concept of "bear conservation" is well covered and very informative for any paddler you plans to camp in bear territory in and around Prince William Sound. Warren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gcosloy Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 So... it sounds as though you are going to go to the bear's home, go into his/her living room, set up camp and then shoot the bear if it is uncomfortable with you being in his/her home, is that accurate?I'm not going to make a judgment either way. Just to say the obvious: If you're going to go to bear country be prepared to defend your life against their natural aggression, or support your guide's decision to do the same. If either of those options are unacceptable to you, do not go to bear country! I will not be going to bear country anytime soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EEL Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 In the FWIW category, recently a young woman hiked the Brooks Range in Alaska (@1000 mi./51 days) solo. During the first two weeks saw grizzlies every day. She elected not to take a firearm after some careful consideration. One interesting story was she walked around a bend to find a grizzly eating a caribou only 100 feet away and a pack of wolves who had killed the caribou hanging around nearby. Seeing her, the wolves ran into the woods and she quickly followed them believing she was safer being close to them than alone under the circumstances.Ed Lawson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick stoehrer Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 ..safer with a wolf pack. Yeah, sure...the wolves will protect me from the bear - that'd be my first thought. Just deeee-lightful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Those bears seem very friendly...This is a better linkhttp://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2014/02/wandering-in-footsteps-of-polar-bear.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EEL Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 ..safer with a wolf pack. Yeah, sure...the wolves will protect me from the bear - that'd be my first thought. Rick:Actually makes good sense. The wolves had already eaten part of the caribou before the grizzly drove them off, the grizzly is not about to pick a fight with them, and wolves very, very seldom bother humans and usually avoid humans or at least not be hostile if close. On of my fondest wildlife memories is when I and a small pack of wolves passed each other like trains on a double track. I was on a trail going one way and they were going the other about 50 feet up slope from the trail. Ed Lawson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick stoehrer Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Had the bear boo-boo'd them away a few minutes earlier; had those wolves still been hungry, even mildly peckish, do you think it'd still be one of your fondest wildlife memories?Look, as long as nothing with claws and fangs is hungry or otherwise pissed off, I'm all for being buddies. It's just if THEY decide to maybe chow down on "pinky" that I'd like a host of options. Options that are afforded me by my big ole brain...and thumbs....all of which allows me to have the means to overcome claws and fangs with things like...guns. or better yet, distance...vast distances even better.That tundra buggy in Churchill? Anyone else think that's a flat tire and an engine failure away from being ursine takeout?Nature red in tooth and claw...I would prefer that to NOT be part of my personal In Memoriam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josko Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 (edited) Parks Canada has compiled an excellent Polar bear safety video (DVD) oriented towards hikers in Polar bear cxountry. It is free from Parks Canada - I got a copy from the Torngat NP HQ: http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/nl/torngats/visit/secur.aspx They also have a polar bear pamphlet at: http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/mb/yorkfactory/securite-safety/ours-bear.aspx Edited March 3, 2014 by josko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick stoehrer Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 (edited) here's a link to a place with lots of little blood suckers...you HAVE to get this mask for your trip Warren. And a video camera. This trip was longer than a week or so and it sure doesn't look like they had qualms about fresh caribou......http://vimeo.com/ondemand/kitturiaq/63477747 Edited March 7, 2014 by rick stoehrer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Allen Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 Don't forget the humble blackfly, either. Several folks on the newfoundland trip last summer were worried that customs was going to deny them re-entry as their swollen hands, neck and faces made them look like stars in some communicable disease horror movie. bestPhil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted March 23, 2014 Author Share Posted March 23, 2014 NSPN Community,Yesterday the fifth and final team member signed on. We now have the complete team and preparations are full steam ahead. Give some thought to 2015, since it is never too early to plan a great adventure!Warren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katherine Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Good News! I am happy for you; do we know this 5th person? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethS Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 (edited) Keep us posted, it's fun reading about all of your preparations, vicarious pleasure (although haveing been to Alaska twice for backpacking, i don't envy you the bug aspect, they aren't always bad, but when they are, bug nets rule!) I have nothing to say about bears that others with more knowledge have not said already, it sounds like you are making excellent plans for an excellent trip, I hope you get lots of great pictures to share! Edited March 24, 2014 by BethS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 Katherine,I have not yet met the fifth and final member of the team. Beth,As you can imagine, the trip planning phase has been a great joy for me. This will be my first expedition and I am attempting to develop a methodology in trip planning which will be transferrable to any future expeditions. Attached below are just a few of the draft documents the team has been working on which will guide us in organizing our efforts.I suspect no two paddlers use the same methods, but I sense there are a core group of documents which we all need. Perhaps members of NSPN who have more knowledge than me in kayak expedition planning will identify methods that have worked for them and our team can benefit from their wisdom.WarrenEquipment for 2014 Alaska Trip.docAlaska Itinerary.docAlaska State Marine Parks.docAlaska Trip Planning Reference Sites.docxAlaska Trip Rev2.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Katherine,I have not yet met the fifth and final member of the team. Beth,As you can imagine, the trip planning phase has been a great joy for me. This will be my first expedition and I am attempting to develop a methodology in trip planning which will be transferrable to any future expeditions. Attached below are just a few of the draft documents the team has been working on which will guide us in organizing our efforts.I suspect no two paddlers use the same methods, but I sense there are a core group of documents which we all need. Perhaps members of NSPN who have more knowledge than me in kayak expedition planning will identify methods that have worked for them and our team can benefit from their wisdom.WarrenEquipment for 2014 Alaska Trip.docAlaska Itinerary.docAlaska State Marine Parks.docAlaska Trip Planning Reference Sites.docxAlaska Trip Rev2.pdfWith the long AK days that doesn't seem like a lot of on the water time. Are you going to do day trips after you make camp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 Jason,You are correct, we will benefit from very long days of sunlight. The draft trip plan is simply serving as a guide to go from Point A to Point B on any given day. It was designed to be very flexible for both weather and interests/skills of the team. I suspect there will be a great deal of time allotted to exploration both on the water and on land. As a case in point, one of our team mates, Beth, is gathering information from a local NOLS guide regarding the areas to safely view bears feeding on salmon in the salmon streams. (I know how facinated the NSPN community is concerning Alaskan bears and I wanted to be certain I was able to bring back some photos of them feeding on salmon versus on paddlers!) Another case in point is Glacier Island. The draft plan brings us along the northern coast which could contain a great deal of ice if we have days of north wind off the Columbia Glacier. We may choose to take a southern route and view the sea lion colony on Bull Head. Lots of options and outstanding areas to paddle!Hope this helps.So Jason, are you heading to Alaska in 2014? Warren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Jason,You are correct, we will benefit from very long days of sunlight. The draft trip plan is simply serving as a guide to go from Point A to Point B on any given day. It was designed to be very flexible for both weather and interests/skills of the team. I suspect there will be a great deal of time allotted to exploration both on the water and on land. As a case in point, one of our team mates, Beth, is gathering information from a local NOLS guide regarding the areas to safely view bears feeding on salmon in the salmon streams. (I know how facinated the NSPN community is concerning Alaskan bears and I wanted to be certain I was able to bring back some photos of them feeding on salmon versus on paddlers!) Another case in point is Glacier Island. The draft plan brings us along the northern coast which could contain a great deal of ice if we have days of north wind off the Columbia Glacier. We may choose to take a southern route and view the sea lion colony on Bull Head. Lots of options and outstanding areas to paddle!Hope this helps.So Jason, are you heading to Alaska in 2014? WarrenIt's been a tentative for 2015 for some time, it's not on the radar for 2014. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 Jason,Sounds good!I know how important it is to paddle a kayak that you like. You might consider contacting Levi Hogan at the e-mail address below,Levi Hogan [turnagainkayak@yahoo.com]Levi rents NDK Explorer and Cetus boats. I suspect he could get you an Explorer HV if that is your preference. I believe he could get it to you in Homer, Seward, Whittier or any other launch site.Warren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Jason,Sounds good!I know how important it is to paddle a kayak that you like. You might consider contacting Levi Hogan at the e-mail address below,Levi Hogan [turnagainkayak@yahoo.com]Levi rents NDK Explorer and Cetus boats. I suspect he could get you an Explorer HV if that is your preference. I believe he could get it to you in Homer, Seward, Whittier or any other launch site.WarrenI have already been in touch with John, via John I can have access to P&H boats including the Cetus HV. The Explorer HV is not a good fit. I would rather be cramped into a Cetus classic then be shoe horned into an Explorer HV (I still don't understand how the Knee bumps make it a HV, the fit IMO is the same as an Explorder). WIthout access to boats I was looking at picking up a 20' car trailer and setting it up to bring our boats out. I was going to make a road trip out of it. Having the boat access just requires us to ship a bit of the geer over as I don't expect it all with fit on the plane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 Jason,It is good you are crafting a plan. It is also good you can find a boat that fits you well.On the topic of flights to Anchorage (if that is your destination), there is a good flight from Boston to Anchorage with one stop in Seattle. The best part is the same plane flys all the way through with only a 45 minute stop in Seattle. No change of planes!Clearly, there are options to consider for getting your gear to Alaska. Select an option that works for you. You might be surprised how much gear you can take with you on a plane for little money. Take it from one who has been there done that.Warren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethS Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Warren, thanks for sharing all of your info with us, not only is it fun to read, but as you said a lot of it is useful for planning all kinds of future trips!Side note, you may already have the bug issue totally sorted out, but just in case it's useful, I just remembered that last summer I finally got some of those permethrin treated clothes, I used them in Vt and ME in some very buggy places and they really worked well, I wished I'd had them when I was in Alaska... I got the Rail RIders (railriders.com) Madison RIver shirt and the eco-mesh pants (both with "insect shield"); quite excellent for bug/sun/wind and even light rain protection; nice because you often have all of these at the same time! I was hiking and canoeing but i think they might be great for kayaking as well. Add a no-see-um proof headnet and few tubes of ultrathon DEET and you will be all set...Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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