Originally Posted By Glenn Roberts
Is the problem a fear of bears, or a fear of being alone? (You mentioned that "when alone" you are too petrified to head out onto the trail.)

Those are two distinct fears. If you're not afraid of bears when you're with others, what makes you afraid when you're alone? If you were headed somewhere bear-free, would you still be afraid to head out into the woods alone? If you'd still be afraid with no bears, try to figure out why.

But, you know what, I've hiked solo and found that it's not the end-all and be-all of backpacking. It makes for epic stories, and a whole series of Colin Fletcher books, and that's great. I'm not knocking solo hiking in the least. But over the years, I've come to prefer having at least one companion, and often a group, to hike with. It's come to be a bit more fun for me, for reasons I can't describe.

So, if it's the being alone that bothers you, you can work to overcome it. But, don't obsess about it. Just find a couple of people to hike with, and enjoy yourself. (That is why we're out here, isn't it?)


The fear of being alone is derived from the knowledge of predatory instinct. A predatory animal is much more likely to attack a one party group as apposed to 2+.

One term i keep seeing tossed around is 'bear territory.' How would one identify that? Or cougar territory for that matter, as, when i think about it, i would much rather come face to face with a bear than a cougar ANY day. I wonder, would bear spray be useful against cougars as well? I understand that the main reason bear spray works on bears is that, not only does it irritate the nasal passage and eyes of the bear like it would anything else, but that a bears main method of navigation is with its nose. Could we say the same for a cougar?

And, this is an addition to another thread i have posted as well as an extension to this, but would playing a musical instrument be just as useful a notice to vacate to bears as shouting, i wonder? I would assume so but who knows?