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?
Any creature with mucous membranes will find the pepper spray to be a painful (irritant doesn't cover it) experience. Go ahead - try a little dab in the corner of the eye, see what happens, multiply it by "a bunch" if you use bear spray in quantity full in the face....
In areas where it's "blind" hiking, through tunnels of brush or thick trees, or in areas where the trail is but a tiny shelf on a cliff face, it can pay to sing and talk loudly. The goal is not startling a dangerous animal. A hiker I ran into in Sequoia NP once told me the story of hiking a section of trail blasted into granite on a vertical face, and coming upon a bear and a cub going the opposite direction. They stood looking at each other for a time, hiker not wanting to turn around and be followed by a bear, and bear not wanting to approach - no room to pass! The bear finally broke the standoff by climbing up a tiny crack and the cub followed her up to a tiny ledge about 20 feet overhead. The hikers passed and the bears crawled back down the crack and continued on their way. A startled bear is not so amenable... injuries related to bears in Yosemite have been solely due to foolish behavior such as keeping food inside a tent. The bear comes in to get the food and is surprised by screaming people, and defends itself before running.
Neither bears nor cougars navigate with their nose, I think, but they would hunt with them.
Using bear bells, btw, is dangerous - it will lead to yelling if you come across me on the trail. Possibly random swinging of a trekking pole. They do nothing but annoy other hikers.
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