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Most likely at this time of year the active bears are sticking close to the shoreline. For one thing, its easier access. That's also where the food is right now depending on the tide stage. Mussels, clams, barnacles, anemones, starfish, urchins, occasional larger fish carcass, not to mention earlier availability of newly-sprouted forage plants, etc. If I was a hungry bear and had to choose between a snow-choked blowdown-littered stream drainage with no active salmon run (most of those occur mid to late summer/fall), berries, or fresh greenup and the beach, I know where I'd go.
Don't forget that bear sows have new cubs of the year with them in spring. Very dependent. Black bears don't tend to be defensive of cubs. They usually send the cubs up a tree and disappear if they feel threatened. Grizzly/brown bears are a different matter. You certainly want to avoid them completely and that includes staying away from a food source they happen to be using.
I think just as concerning how wildlife react to the child, is how the child reacts to the wildlife.
5 years old, alone in the woods at nightfall? I'd guess pretty jumpy.
My concern this time of year would be mothers still denned with new cubs. Most of them aren't active yet, and they do go back in that type of terrain to den. There could be some emerging/denned males as well. But to be honest, it wouldn't be my main concern with that hike this time of year. It makes no sense that she'd choose that area instead of just going up Deer Mountain.
But to be honest, it wouldn't be my main concern with that hike this time of year. It makes no sense that she'd choose that area instead of just going up Deer Mountain.
I know! Deer Mountain is an obvious choice, but maybe she assumed it would be crowded...you know, with all those smarter hikers!
Oh my! I love hiking and had a lot of experience (also bad experiences)... Makes me extremely sad to read things like this. How could a mother leave a child alone in the forest? First of all she had to know that going hiking with a child would not be easy nor for her, nor for the child.
I also had experiences where I got lost, got really scared but after that experience I try to always carry walkie talkies with me. It is very dangerous to get lost in the mountain! And extremely scary!
If you go hiking, please be safe, choose the best variant for you, like this, and pay attention!
Such thing should not happen! Safety first!
I don't know about that; as a mother I am boggled at the thought of leaving a 5-year-old alone in the wilderness. I don't think I could do it. I would try to carry him, then rest, encourage him to walk, whatever it took to keep him with me. Just walk away from him, no, it would not even cross my mind.
Oh my! I love hiking and had a lot of experience (also bad experiences)... Makes me extremely sad to read things like this. How could a mother leave a child alone in the forest? First of all she had to know that going hiking with a child would not be easy nor for her, nor for the child.
I also had experiences where I got lost, got really scared but after that experience I try to always carry walkie talkies with me. It is very dangerous to get lost in the mountain! And extremely scary!
If you go hiking, please be safe, choose the best variant for you, like this, and pay attention!
Such thing should not happen! Safety first!
Well what you wrote probably sounds reasonable to a reasonable person.
FWIW, you need to remember that most "walkie talkies" require a direct line of sight. Doesn't take much terrain at all to block transmission. Even if she did have one with her who would be holding the second one? Even a satellite phone signal can be blocked by tree canopy or dense cloud cover. Technology can be a great thing but it can't replace a functional brain. When you are dealing with a thoughtless unprepared fool, all bets are off.
Last edited by Parnassia; 04-22-2020 at 12:57 PM..
Well what you wrote probably sounds reasonable to a reasonable person.
FWIW, you need to remember that most "walkie talkies" require a direct line of sight. Doesn't take much terrain at all to block transmission. Even if she did have one with her who would be holding the second one? Even a satellite phone signal can be blocked by tree canopy or dense cloud cover. Technology can be a great thing, but when you are dealing with a thoughtless unprepared fool, all bets are off.
I agree that a walkie talkie would be useless unless you have somebody to talk to with it. A Garmin inReach satellite communicator would be the best option. But those are expensive, and not usually used by day hikers.
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