Some Bare facts about Bears!

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This past Labor day I was camping with my girl friend and children. We were too late to get into the regular State Forest campground that we like to stay at and were demoted to “dispersed” camping. These are unimproved campsites in a general area. The campsite we picked out of the three we found was very steep, but, after 4 tries, we managed to find a spot for the camper. Night one was uneventful. But the second night we had an uninvited visitor … a Black Bear.

Now, Pam, my designated co planner for camping trips, was a little worried when she heard it and woke me (it generally takes a small to medium-sized explosion to wake me, my snores tend to drown other noises out!). After I quit rubbing my ribs and could breathe, I listened and said yes it could be a bear. When ask what I was going to do, I realized this was a man thing (you know killing spiders, taking out the garbage and chasing off bears). So, I walked over to the door and turned the outside light on and saw… A Bear! To be honest, I thought I would see a raccoon or deer or something smaller. I don’t know who was more surprised, the bear or myself. In the End, the bear was easy to chase off; he turned and ran, and I stuck my head out the door and yelled at him just to make it look good, and he never came back.

Then three days later, I was driving a back road going to look at a house that was for sale and had a mother bear with two cubs on the road in front of me. Mother and one cub went to the right and one cub went to the left. So, for the next few minutes, I sat between them in my truck and watched until they figured out I wasn’t going to hurt them. Finally, the lone cub crossed the road and ran to Mom and all three left, not to be seen again.

Now, what do these two events have in common? Obviously the bear contacts. My step-father couldn’t believe I had seen 4 bear in less than a week and proclaimed I was as lucky as a dog with two… well, never mind. But the fact is most people don’t see bears that often and don’t know what to to when they do see them. Many of them have watched too many Disney movies and think bears are some sort of cuddly animal or have watched too many horror movies and think they are about to die. The truth lies somewhere in the middle of course.

So let me give you some Bare facts about Bears:

• If you are going to be attacked, it most likely will be a black bear. Why, you ask? Well, they are in almost every state, grizzly bears have a very limited range.
• Most people that are attacked have done something, shall we say less than intelligent, like tried to have their child feed the nice bear some marshmallows or gotten between a mother and her cubs.
• Bears like food and if you feed them they will come; however, if you quit feeding them, they will still come and now will be hungry and used to humans. (this is called a campground where everyone leaves their coolers out until the bears are used to eating out of coolers). Leaving food out on the table and going away is just asking for bear problems.
• Only ONE campground in Yellowstone is closed to tents and soft side campers, and that is Fishing Bridge Campground.
• A single hiker moving quietly is more likely to have problems with bears.
• Bears do have comfort zones. So, if you get too close to them and invade that space, they will try to leave. If you have left them no easy exit, they will leave over you.
• Bear spray will work to keep them away but even better than that is to be smart.

So, what can you do to protect yourself and your loved ones from bears? Mostly, it is very easy.

• Stay in your vehicle if you see a bear. Stop and take that picture, but, unless the bear is over a hundred yards away, you are safer in the vehicle. The same for a camper… don’t go out and try to scare them off, stay inside.
• Lights and loud noises will work to scare all but the most persistent of bears off. Loud whistles, banging on pots, yelling, honking your horn.
• Don’t feed the bears. Keep all food and containers in your camper (or vehicle) or in the bear boxes. If you are backpacking, suspend the packs on a rope between two trees well out of reach from the trees or ground.
• When hiking, go as a group and don’t be afraid to make noise in bear country — sing, talk, wear bells. Stay close together and, if you see a bear, bunch up. Three or four people all together look bigger and tougher than one alone.
• Don’t try to get too close to a bear … they are wild animals, and, if you try to feed them, whatever happens to you, you deserve.
• Whatever you do, DON”T get between a mother bear and its cub or cubs. If you find yourself between a mother bear and her cubs, leave as quickly and quietly as you can.
• If you are attacked, try to cover your head with your arms and do the proverbial play dead act.
• They say black bear can climb trees and grizzly bears can’t. Mostly true, grizzlies just push them over; so, don’t rely on trees to save you. Plan ahead and be smart.

Bears are an exciting part of the outdoors. Treat them with respect and intelligence. Binoculars and spotting scopes are the best things for bear watching. Seeing a bear in the wild can make a memory you will treasure forever, like when we saw a Grizzly with three cubs in Yellowstone.

And I’m just going to leave you with one thought: Good bears poop has nuts and berries in it. Bad bears poop has bells and whistles in it and smells like pepper. (Smile)

Your Obedient Servant,

Gary Smith, Jr.

End of the Summer? Maybe! End of Camping? NOT!

To many, many people this weekend seems to be the end of the camping season. When I was a kid, this weekend was the end of summer and freedom. After all summer of running around mainly barefoot, leaving the house in the morning and not having to come back until the streetlights came on (except you better be there for dinner!), riding your bikes, playing baseball, swimming, fishing, and having lots of fun, suddenly you had to put on new shoes and jeans as stiff as cardboard and shirts with buttons and GO BACK TO SCHOOL!

Well, I am here to say you don’t have to be as sad as a kid going back to school this time of year. Today’s campers are equipped with Heaters! In fact, even here in North Western Pennsylvania, temperatures are not going to be so cold for several weeks that you have to worry about getting that frigid. So, don’t let the time of year stop you from going camping!

Now for safety considerations, please check your heater and make sure it is operating properly. It should burn cleanly, and, after the first few minutes, there should be no strange odors. Any appliances that use flame (stove, heater, frig, water heater) should burn with a clear blue flame. Check the batteries, in your LP detector, smoke alarm and Carbon monoxide detector. Also, test them to make sure they go off! If you have heated tanks, you don’t have to worry about things freezing unless it gets really cold. Just make sure you remember to winterize when you come back if the temperatures are going to be below freezing.

Layers may be needed as the days start getting cooler. But, look at it this way, the bugs are going to start dying off at least up North. Last year in November we went down to the Okefenokee Swamp and almost got carried away by the Bugs!

Now, where can you go? Most of the Summer/entertainment park type of campgrounds are starting to close, and the kids have many activities like football and band. So we like to look closer to home. We also tend to do some less frantic type of activities, enjoying more nature walks, leaf peeping, elk watching, and sitting around the campfire.

So, maybe try focusing on the national park, state park or national forest, state forest campgrounds. These are often closer than you think and many can reach them within a hour or less drive. The sites maybe a little smaller, and there often isn’t electric or water, much less full hook ups. But, if you go closer to home and are only staying for a relaxing weekend with the kids, you should be able to get by. Look at it as practice for your dream trip to Yellowstone and boonedocking! Another bonus is that the prices are often very reasonable most being in the 15 to 30 dollar range, for a night’s stay.

So, don’t let the end of summer end your camping for the year. Get out while you can enjoy the warmth of the fire and make memories with your kids.

Your Obedient Servant,

Gary Smith, Jr.

New isn’t better if you don’t know how to use it!

Everyone likes to get new things, new campers, new clothes, new generators, new equipment in general. And most of the time, those new items are great improvements, for example the boots that they have now days are fantastic. I now have winter boots that keep my feet warm and that I can walk in without feeling like I am in snowshoes, or worry about water, and they weigh less than a five pound sack of sugar each.

But the down-side of new equipment often isn’t talked about! What down-side can there be to new equipment? Well, I am sure most you, if you think about it, have had some new piece of equipment that you thought would just be wonderful only to find that it didn’t work as well as advertised or was made shoddily. I am going to tell the tale of two pieces of equipment that have gone wrong and the mistakes made, and most of all how to learn from some painful errors! So, please continue to read on.

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Motorcycle safety, a different point of view.

As some of you might remember, I and my significant other ride motorcycles. Now, I grew up playing with anything that had a motor. Things like mini bikes, homemade dune buggies, go karts, backhoes, dump trucks, lawn mowers, tractors and yes motorcycles were all things that we worked on, built and rode/drove when I was a kid. As an adult with little money, I got away from playing with "toys". But, as I grew older and having a little money, I managed to start getting some of my own toys, like pop-ups and campers, bass boat, and, yes, a motorcycle. So, what do motorcycles and riding have to do with camping and RVing? Well, I don’t know about you, but I see more and more bikes in trucks or as toads or even pulling small pop-ups.

Now, as a paramedic, I am very aware of the risks and dangers of two-wheeled travel and keeping life and limb together and unhurt is a prime goal. Maybe, if I had been more aware of that as a youngster, I wouldn’t have as many aches and pains as I do today! So, I thought I was a pretty safe driver, wearing gear, helmet, and boots at all times. But when my significant other decided to ride, I realized that someone who is a professional teacher would be better to help her learn than I could. So, Pennsylvania has a safety/driving course for motorcycle riders sponsored by the MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) to teach riders how to ride and ride safer. So we signed up! Now, I already had my license and figured it would be just a chance to get some brownie points! But, what I learned was much more! So, if you have ever wondered about having a motorcycle as a toad, or as a tour/camping bike or just wondered if you were interested in riding, please read on.

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Campsite Hazards, Where you meet the world.

Once again real world affects the best intentions. I wanted to publish this last week, but was unable to get my laptop to talk to the hotels WIFI hookup! We survived a week long family reunion. We all met in Virginia and enjoyed a week staying in a cabin in the woods. There was no blood shed and we all still talking with each other; the kids even ate something other than chicken nuggets and everyone had fun visiting caves and the skyline drive and even a day in Washington DC.

But while on vacation, we all wanted to go tubing down the Shenandoah river. However, when we got to the river, we found many signs telling us due to the low water and lack of rain that there was an intestinal bug in the river that if ingested could cause “explosive” diarrhea. Well, I don’t know about you, but, when you combine the words explosive and diarrhea, you make me scared! But it made me start thinking of what we face when we step out of the camper or tent and how to ease some of the common problems around the campsite. Come with me while I take a walk around a typical campsite and see what pitfalls await!
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Campfire safety, it’s not all light my fire baby!

This week I want to talk about campfire safety. I realize and hope I am talking to the people that already are safety-minded about fires, but since this is one of the most frequent causes of injuries while camping, I thought it deserved a strong mention.

The campfire is one of the nicest parts of camping. My family loves to sit around the campfire telling stories and making s’mores (if you promise to read this to the end I will give you the new s’mores recipe we are using!). As the night goes on and the wear and tear of the day starts to take it’s toll and the fire burns down, we become quiet and begin watching the fire and the almost hypnotic effect it starts to have. Finally, when someone either yawns so wide it looks like the top of their head is going to fall off, or falls asleep, then it is time for bed. It is also most useful for cooking and heating water for dishes if you are dry camping.

But, like any tool, you must learn how to use it safely. You don’t give a 4-year-old an axe and say go have fun.  Likewise you don’t give a 4-year-old matches and say go have fun… but, at any age, you can learn about fire safety. Most of what I am going to say is common sense but, like my Grandfather used to tell me, “Common sense isn’t that common anymore.” So, please read this, and if you learn one new thing that can make you safer, it will have been worth it!

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Montezuma’s revenge, the trots, or simply - Diarrhea.

What made me think about it was a recent camping trip, a group of friends that like to ride motorcycles went down to Johnstown PA to go to a motorcycle rally called “Thunder in the Valley “. If you were there and were looking for the big tough, mean looking bikers. . . That wasn’t us! We had fun but one of our members had a spell of Diarrhea and missed most of the event that he had taken time off from work, driven far to attend and was looking forward to. This sounds like most of the camping trips we all take and who wants them ruined? How can you keep this from happening to you?

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Heat Stroke…it isn’t just for the elderly.

Last week we talked about Heat exhaustion, and I recieved some private messages that went something along the lines of well this is an old folks’ problem, so I don’t have to worry about it. Sorry devoted readers, what I was trying to express was that the very young and the older/out of shape people are more at risk, BUT young and health people can easily suffer from it, too. All it takes is to start to deplete the body’s store of fluids and electrolytes and not be able to properly cool the body either because of heat and humidity or physical activity.

Today, we are going to go beyond heat exhaustion and talk about Heat Stroke. Remember, with heat exhaustion, the body, if replenished with fluids and electrolytes and cooled, could recover itself. Heat Stroke has gone beyond that. Often the body can not recover on its own and is not able to cool on it’s own either. True Heat stroke victims have lost the ability to sweat; they may still be clammy but are not sweating, and the body’s temperature is climbing rapidly to dangerous levels. But to learn more, let’s follow the continued below link ….

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Heat Exhaustion, stop it before it gets worse!

When this blog started, in January, I was writing about hypothermia and frostbite, and summer seemed like it was years away. Now suddenly IT IS HERE! This past week in Pennsylvania it has been above 90, and the humidity seems to match! So, now in honor of Summer, I want to write about … You Guessed it … HEAT! Please don’t think I am all about gloom and doom and that nothing can make me happy, or even that I find something wrong with every thing. But each season has its perils, and, if you know about them, you can be prepared to avoid them and make your trip not only safer but happier!

Now, heat is something that everyone expects in the summer, but few worry about. Now, as some of us approach middle age (do I really think I am going to make it past 96?), we find we don’t tolerate it as well as we used to. The young (below 8 - 10) and the middle age to elderly ( I will let you decide where that line falls) have more problems with the heat. So, let’s explore the beginnings of dangerous heat exposure by learning about Heat Exhaustion.

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Bee Stings: Prevention and Treatment

Tiptoeing through the tulips? Watch for the Bees!

I find it strange to begin this. To me, summer as a kid was always about being barefoot and freedom. Now part of the price you had to pay for that seemingly endless freedom of summer was the occasional sharp stone, or hot tar stuck to your foot or even the fact that once in awhile you got a Bee Sting! I was amazed this week when talking to my three children that 2 of the three can’t ever remember being stung by a Bee, not even once. Not that I went out of my way to be stung by a bee, but it just seemed to happen. I guess the times were a little more primitive. My mother used to tell me to take my shoes off and go play (saved on buying shoes don’t ya know!). Today it seems like every kid has an activity, soccer, swimming, baseball and so on; very few seem to just jump on their bikes, pedal down to the creek, and jump in, or go out into the woods to play.

But, I am wandering off of my topic for the week. Bee stings are feared by many people for a number of reasons. First of which is that they are painful! I mean, only card-carrying masochists want to be hurt on a regular basis, and I don’t think you will find many of those on here. (Wait we pay money to leave our nice comfortable homes to go live in a little, tiny campsite, Ok not serious ones!). Many also fear allergic reactions to the stings, which is a very valid point! Many also fear little tiny creepy crawly things! That is my personal favorite. I hate bugs and have been know to “scream like a little girl” when surprised by them.

But what is a Bee? Where do they come from? How can we protect against getting stung? What can we do once we are stung? Let’s see what we can learn…

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