Squamish Bear Facts!
Bears, mostly black bears, are a concern in the Squamish area and one was shot last week as it was harrassing a newspaper carrier. This is what you are supposed to do if you see a bear:
Stay calm and Don’t Panic. Speak to the bear in a normal voice to let it know you are nearby (Kind of difficult to do I expect).
Give the bear plenty of space. Allow the bear an easy exit route. If you suddenly come face to face with a bear, back away slowly, moving in the direction you came from. Do not run.
Calmly take your children and pets indoors. Call your neighbors to advise them to BEAR-PROOF their yards (this means keeping garbage inside and removing fruit from any fruit trees. No bird feed is supposed to be out from May until October either.
I haven’t seen a bear yet (thankfully).
Other weekly news here are the accidents or death from mountain climbing. A 73 year old experienced climber fell 60 ft. last week and survived the fall with a few broken ribs. He was actually just on a trail, not actually climbing apparently, but slipped and then tumbled off a cliff. I expect I will climb to the top of The Chief eventually by the back trail - takes about 3 hours I hear and the view is incredible - but that might be it in terms of my mountaineering.
