Bear at Sula (continued)

So, to conclude that story, I wanted to assure my family and any other friends that my plan has been, when camping in a place that would potentially have bears (or other animals), to hang my bag of food and cooking utensils in a bag from a tree limb. In fact, based on some advice from a mother/daughter pair of outdoorswomen from Helena (formerly from Alaska) I will also include, in the bag, the cloths that I was wearing when I cooked and ate the food.

Several people -- Bob I., Claude F., and others -- have enquired about how I would "protect" myself on this trip. Some people have asked if I am armed. As far as protection from people is concerned, I suspect that I am as safe on this trip as I would be if I was hanging around in NYC or anywhere else, for that matter. People here in the West have been extraordinarly helpful, friendly, and trusting, and their trusting nature is probably a reflection of the fact that people out here can generally be trusted. So, as far as I am concerned, on this trip I am as safe from people as I would be anywhere.

As far as animals are concerned, the only animals to actually be concerned about are bears. Other predators, such as mountain lions or wolves, are much less likely to approach anyplace that has humans. And as far as bears are concerned, the fact that I am traveling by bicycle doesn't make me any more vulnerable than anyone else who is camping. One just needs to be careful and prudent.

My bigger concern is dogs. So far, the only dog that has given chase was a pug, and with its short little legs to run on it didn't pose much of a threat. I will pick up a can of "Halt" (pepper spray), because I think the dog threat will probably increase as I head east.