© Joshua Davis (new website at jdavis.info)



Winter is over in the Northern Hemisphere, and that means bears are starting to wake up. And they're hungry! If you've ever seen the Spongebob Squarepants episode where Sandy Cheeks the squirrel is hibernating. She is rudely woken up by Spongebob and Patrick, and she's grumpy!

Mind your manners when you go hiking for the next few weeks. Make a bit of noise and try not to surprise any sleeping bears. It's not as bad as when they've got cubs around, but now is not a good time to go face to face with a bear.

If you are confronted, the best plan is to not be scared. Stay calm, don't look it in the eye, don't run. Walk away, talking calmly but loudly to yourself. Talking will help the bear realize you're human and that it doesn't want to mess with you.