How bearanoid works

As we've said, Bearanoia is a Good Thing.  We have a raving, raging case of Bearanoia.  Anyway, this is how it works.  We're going into Bear Country.  There's a formal "bear order" in place in that National Forest.  You can click here to read it.  OK, first things first--we clean all of our stuff to remove as much traces of food odors as we can.  That includes giving the stove a thorough cleaning.  Next, we make a lot of phone calls: Forest Service local ranger station, Harriman State Park, Campground Manager, local newspaper, local chamber of commerce.  The questions are all the same:  1) Have there been any physical bear-human contacts? 2) Has anyone reported using bear spray? 3) Are bear sightings up or down from normal 4) What's the farther south a bear has been reported? 5) Have there been any bear sightings in Riverside Campground?

Next, we will go pick up our new prototype quick draw holster at Rachel's Place.  One canister of spray stays either on the backpack or on the bicycle frame--the other will be within reach at all times 24/7 while we are in Bear Country.  We will sleep with it, walk with it, sit a the picnic table with it, drive with it.  You name it, the bear spray is grafted to our right hand.

That's how Bearanoia works.  Hey, we're Bearanoid and danged proud of it!