Thanks for saying that, Lori --- I agree completely. When I hiked in Montana/Wyoming last year some people were concerned that I wasn't belled like a cat. Or a jester. Or a clown. I told them that I'd rather be eaten than to jingle constantly. Or to have people constantly making Christmas-related jokes as I walked the trail. I think that they thought that I was joking ...
(to be fair, I did carry bear spray, something I had never done before)