Backcountry Bear Basics

* Practical strategies for avoiding dangerous bear encounters * Debunks commonly held myths about people and bears * Provides tested strategies to help you avoid conflict with black bears and grizzliesBear expert Dave Smith gives you the basics - like how to choose a good campsite and properly store your food so that you don't have to worry whether that pepper spray you brought will work on the bear that wanders into camp. He debunks commonly held myths about people and bears. Forinstance, menstruating women don't have to stay out of bear country, he says. And no, don't roll up in a ball when faced with a charging bear. So much of conventional wisdom about bears is often just plain bad advice; Smith tells you what you should do instead and why. He also reviews specific outdoor activities - from fishing to mountain biking to hiking with young children to trail running - assessing the likelihood of bear encounters and suggesting tactics for coping in different settings and situations. This second edition incorporates new research (Do bear bells work? Does tent color or shape make a difference in attracting bears?) and adds more charts and sidebars to make material accessible at a glance. Smith provides key information on bear behavior and biology to help you understand, rather than fear, this most misunderstood animal. This book is in the Mountaineers Outdoor Basics series.

Seven common bear encounters and how to survive them. Best ways to identify grizzlies and black bears. Learn essential info on bear behavior at different times of year and in different habitats.

What causes bear attacks? When should you play dead and when should you fight an attacking bear? What do we know about black and grizzly bears and how can this knowledge be used to avoid bear attacks? And, more generally, what is the bear’s future? Bear Attacks is a thorough and unflinching landmark study of the attacks made on men and women by the great grizzly and the occasionally deadly black bear. This is a book for everyone who hikes, camps, or visits bear country–and for anyone who wants to know more about these sometimes fearsome but always fascinating wild creatures.

Updated and revised guide filled with helpful tips on traveling and camping in bear country.

CLICK HERE to download the chapter on "Animal Encounters" from Wilderness Basics * The standard text for the San Diego Sierra Club chapter’s Wilderness Basics Course * Extensive updating throughout, including many new photos More than 100,000 copies of Wilderness Basics have been sold over the years, and this new edition will continue as a training staple for those wanting to build their outdoor skills. It is the text used in the San Diego Sierra Club chapter’s signature Wilderness Basics Course (WBC) and is written by chapter members. Updates to this new edition include: * Outdoor Ethics — latest Leave No Trace practices * Conditioning — completely rewritten, with targeted advice for certain health conditions * Outfitting — updates on planning your pack weight, water treatment methods, expanded tent and sleeping system info * Foods and Cooking — new information on how to not dirty a pot, in-the-bag cooking, and Dutch oven cooking * Navigation — completely updated, including information on adjusted declination compasses * Backcountry First Aid — the latest wilderness first aid info, first aid kit materials, and information on the Hantavirus and West Nile Virus * Winter Adventures — added information on predicting changes in backcountry weather There’s more too in this exhaustively updated instructional for outdoor beginners and advanced backpackers, alike. You’ll also appreciate the refreshed appendix of recommended websites for gear and travel info.

Trekking is an experience--and distinctly different than thru-hiking long trails in the preparation, lifestyle, and time commitments involved. Tilton takes readers from planning the route to making the most of the journey.

Annotation A completely updated new edition of the essential outdoor guidebook for the Whistler area. Concise, thorough, and easy to use, this updated edition of The Whistler Bookgives readers all the information they need for the variety of recreational opportunities. As Jack Christienotes, "adventurers flock here year-round to indulge themselves": in winter with skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing; in summer with camping, hiking, paddling, rock climbing, fishing, swimming, and mountain biking. Christieleads the way with handy, detailed trail maps for all locations, destination highlights, insider info boxes, and tips on some of his personal favourite spots.

This guide helps train outdoor leaders to prevent, recognize, and treat common medical problems and to stabilize a severely ill or injured patient for evacuation.