Well have a bucket list trip planned , 10 days backpacking in the Canadian Rockies. Third week in July. Trip will be split half in Yoho half in Banff. Any gear suggestions / pointers. Most of my time will be in the back country.
Posted by Doug Beezley on May 20, 2012 at 12:05 AM
Pepper spray - you're in bear country.
Posted by Howard Cihak on May 20, 2012 at 12:37 AM
Not sure of the difference, but there are actual bear sprays available, and they may be more effective than the ordinary self-defense pepper sprays marketed for use against human attackers. The Canadian Rockies aren't known so much for bear attacks on humans as are Yellowstone and Glacier park areas, but that may simply be the result of fewer back country explorers and campers.
I'd also suggest carrying some form of emergency communication device in case of serious injury from whatever cause. There have been enough deaths and serious disabling injuries that might have been averted if the persons involved had just carried an emergency communication device, such as a satellite telephone.
You know what they say ... "Better to have had it and not needed it, than to have needed it and not had it."
If something cool in happening in the CR's he'll know it.
Posted by Lorna Taylor on May 20, 2012 at 10:22 AM
Hi Jack the bear spray would maybe be a good idea for the black bears we have here but we have a lot of grizzlies in the Banff and Jasper areas of the Rockie Mountain Parks. Bring good sleeping bags is my suggestion we have had a very cold spring and in the Rockies at night even in the summer it hoovers just about zero . We have woken up to snow on many July and August camping trips there.
Jack, I just got back from a 10 day photo tour in the Khutzemateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, about 50 km south of the Alaska border and the last standing pristine rainforest in the world that meets the ocean. Laura is right, at night it is still just a little above 0, and during the last 4 days we had showers in the morning giving way cloud and sun and warm temperatures in the afternoon. Yes you will need to carry bear spray, however, I don't know your experience, but if you know how to be around bears, you will need it only in an extremely rare circumstance that you probably won't run into. I know Darwin and he is a great landscape photographer, but if you're going for wildlife, I recommend you checkout some of John Marriott's books. He is a wildlife photographer extraordinaire, and we have been on several trips together. I am very passionate about this area, and the bears, and visit it at least once a year to do photo shoots. But it is under siege by resource developers and I am involved in the battle to preserve and protect the Great Bear Rainforest. Once you experience the GBR, you can't get it out of your mind. If you're interested, one of the best fights is being wage by Ian McAllister at www.pacificwild.org, check it out. I could go on but i'll shut up now. Enjoy your trip and capture the experience.
Garry Revesz
Toronto, ON
"Walk softly; leave only footprints; and carry a big camera"
Don't bother picking up bear or pepper spray until you get into Canada. It needs to be Canadian approved or it will be confiscated at the border. There is plenty of beautiful scenery in the Canadian Rockies and the wildlife is pretty amazing too. Enjoy your trip.
As I understand it, the difference between "Bear" spray and "personal defense" spray is the amount in the can. Grizzly's are known for their toughness so it takes a lot to stop them. That said, the majority of Grizzly charges are bluffs that stop 10 - 20 feet away (yikes!!). Around Yellowstone, everybody sells Bear spray in a holster and it's strongly recommended that you use a can for practice before heading into the back country. The naturalists that I know around Yellowstone all have ways of attaching their bear spray holsters to their backpack straps so it's very handy. I also agree with the comment that you're likely to have any bear spray purchased in the USA confiscated by Canadian customs, so buy it in Canada.
Discussion
9 repliesI'd also suggest carrying some form of emergency communication device in case of serious injury from whatever cause. There have been enough deaths and serious disabling injuries that might have been averted if the persons involved had just carried an emergency communication device, such as a satellite telephone.
You know what they say ... "Better to have had it and not needed it, than to have needed it and not had it."
Enjoy your trip. Spectacular wilderness.
If something cool in happening in the CR's he'll know it.
Here is the Banff guide to back country hiking .
http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/activ/activ17.aspx
http://oopoomoo.com/ebooks/our-ebooks/#category=guides
Garry Revesz
Toronto, ON
"Walk softly; leave only footprints; and carry a big camera"