Safe Hiking

   A couple questions came up from a comment on a picture I had posted earlier. In response, no, I have never made the trek to the top of Mt. Denali. It's a two-week ascent and usually completed as a guided tour. Thats way above my experience level and I don't think I could even afford to pay the guides for that one. It would be an incredible feat to accomplish though, and many have made it in the past knowing the risks. The other question posted was have I encountered any "near-death" experiences while out on the trails. Once again, I wouldn't count anything I've came across as really dangerous. I did see a brown bear (grizzly) while on a hike in Alaska with my girlfriend and her cousins. We were with a guide and the bear was across a valley on another mountain. I can't imagine how intense that encounter would be, but our guide did have a story for us. His name was Mike and while he and his wife were hiking, he found himself at the bottom of a hill alone. He goes on to say that a grizzly walked up to him and stood in front of him, sniffing, grunting, and baring his teeth. Mike said he did not look the beast in the eye, and he remained quiet and still until the bear lost interest and lumbered off into the brush. Meanwhile, his wife was atop the hill looking down while her husband nearly became a source of protein for this dangerous carnivore. The toughest part for her was remaining quiet and not screaming out to her man. I don't know what I'd do if this happend to me. I know that my girlfriend and I pretty much hike together, make plenty of noise when we know dangerous animals are around, and are both trained in first aid in case anything does happen to the other. Also, a nice sharp knife on hand is good security as a last resort.