Sound Advice For Backcountry Travelers in the National Parks

Published Date

August 18, 2009

One of my favorite writers is Nicholas D. Kristof, a columnist for the New York Times. He has an incredibly deft ability for crafting an article both informative and entertaining in a surprisingly few number of paragraphs. The other day he wrote on the joys and wonders of hiking in the backcountry, and he made some points well worth sharing.

* In the same way that you recharge your Blackberry from time to time, you also should recharge your soul -- by spending part of August disconnected from the Web and reconnected with the universe.

* ... if there's no rain, sleep under the stars. God made stars so that humans could fall asleep admiring them.

* ... anyone who uses a food sack as a pillow may be kissed away at 3 a.m. by a visitor both hungry and hirsute.

* In grizzly or polar bear territory, carry bear spray. Frankly, the spray is unlikely to stop a 1,000-pound bear hurtling toward you, so experienced hikers respond to a menacing bear in one of two ways. The first option is to spray yourself in the face, so you no longer care what the bear does to you. The second option is to spray your best friend beside you, and then run.

You can find the entire column, and other keys to safely negotiating the backcountry, at Mr. Kristof's blog: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/opinion/09kristof.html?_r=1&partner=rs...

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Comments

Submitted by admin on August 18, 2009 - 4:14pm.

is this some kind of joke? i backpack and go fly fishing in the backcountry 3-4 times each summer and fall and never take anything as ligthly as these comments seem to make out. if anybody doesn't take REAL CARE in the woods than maybe you shouldn't be there in the frist place. leave the backcountry to those who have the respect needed to survive there.

Submitted by admin on August 18, 2009 - 5:09pm.

Lighten up, i have been in much worse places the key is BE aware and stay safe

Submitted by qtluong on August 19, 2009 - 12:38pm.

I couldn't agree more with Kristof. If you think that's a "joke" from a NY guy, you may want to check Ray Jardine's "Beyond Backpacking". You can think what you want about Jardine, but not that he is an outdoor lightweight.

Tuan.

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