National Park Etiquette

[Texas Proud]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunset I bought some bear spray for our trip to Smokey Mountains, I did see the odd other person with some which made me feel better. Usually there were lots of other tourists around, so I figured one of the little kids would be a good snack rather than old stringy me. We did see some bears, all at a very safe distance. There are videos of the bear spray being used on bears and it really works well without any aiming. It's about $25 for a big can, it was comforting to have. Now its comforting in the bedside table.

Just bought from Amazon 2 cans at $37 per can... compliant with Canada and 'supposed' to be the best... We are going to visit a number of parks this summer and even go into Canada...

Just like insurance, you hope you do not need it but would hate to be without it when needed...

[Texas Proud]

Quote:

Originally Posted by timo2 Back in the 1980s I worked a season at Yellowstone National Park. Some good tourist stories, but my favorite is one from the Park Service civil engineer I worked for regarding Everglades NP, where he has previously worked. All the signs said don't take your dogs on the walkways, but he reported that people would constantly be complaining their little lap dog was eaten by an alligator. as a 30 year old, that struck me as amazing and humorous. Now that I'm older, It strikes me as dog abuse. The dog didn't choose to walk into an alligator place. That's why that story has stuck with me, I guess.

A guy I worked with used to volunteer at a park near here that has alligators... we have been there a few times ourselves...

His story is similar... but here the gators usually are just sunning themselves and you can get pretty close to them.... but, this one lady was allowing her dog to run into the water... a ranger came up to her and told her that is not allowed... she was giving him an earful when there was a loud 'snap'... a big gator snapped the dog and threw it on a big of land in the pond and disappeared... the lady started yelling at the ranger that they needed to get her dog!!! He just walked away....


Yes, I agree that it is animal abuse... but in a way it is also how life works... if it were a feral dog it would also be dead... then again, maybe that dog would be smarter and not be swimming where gators live...

[pb4uski]

I love it! Natural consequences at its best.

[Sunset]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Proud Just bought from Amazon 2 cans at $37 per can... compliant with Canada and 'supposed' to be the best... We are going to visit a number of parks this summer and even go into Canada... Just like insurance, you hope you do not need it but would hate to be without it when needed...

Make sure it says bear spray on the cans (pepper spray is illegal in Canada).
Keep/bring the information instructions if they talk about when bear charges you how to use it.
Always refer to it as bear spray, the Canadian customs are picky.
It would not hurt to print out the Canadian Customs page where it says bear spray is allowed.

(Canada does not allow guns, so don't try to bring them. And all knives you bring are for cutting vegetables, even tactical knives, as knives for self-defence are illegal )

I had bought my at Cabela's (normally expensive) but was on a sale.
Hopefully you never have to use it.

[MRG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunset Make sure it says bear spray on the cans (pepper spray is illegal in Canada). Keep/bring the information instructions if they talk about when bear charges you how to use it. Always refer to it as bear spray, the Canadian customs are picky. It would not hurt to print out the Canadian Customs page where it says bear spray is allowed. (Canada does not allow guns, so don't try to bring them. And all knives you bring are for cutting vegetables, even tactical knives, as knives for self-defence are illegal ) I had bought my at Cabela's (normally expensive) but was on a sale. Hopefully you never have to use it.

I'll have to tell my buddy about no guns in Canada. He's going bear hunting up there but he wasn't going to use bear spray.

[Aerides]

I have little/no sympathy from those that stray "off the path" as it were, and suffer consequences.

I'm more concerned about the damage humans do when they don't fall prey: stepping on nests, destroying habitats, littering, carving their names into historic rocks and trees, etc.

That's the kind of etiquette breach that hurts everyone, but isn't solved via a hungry alligator proving Darwin right.

[Sunset]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRG I'll have to tell my buddy about no guns in Canada. He's going bear hunting up there but he wasn't going to use bear spray.

Well, it's true if you fill out a form, pay $25/gun and the border guard lets you in, you can bring a long gun for a certain time period.

Annoyingly you cannot get pre-approval for it, so you can do all that and show up and they can deny it. Then you have to drive home to to put the gun away, and drive back to the border.
Just really dumb for a bunch of reasons including security, since currently they cannot "pre-screen" you, they have less time to figure out if you are good/bad.

[EastWest Gal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRG At age 6 we went to Yellowstone this was in '63. Bears all over the park and morons teasing them with food. At age 6 I knew these people were id10ts.

Gosh, I was there the following year. I was four. I remember the bears. They were everywhere. They were nerve wracking. It seemed like we were jumping in our car at every meal. My parents really obeyed all rules with respect to bears and everything else. We never camped there again.

Every year we see stories about the disasters who befall people who go beyond the boundaries. Falling in the Grand Canyon, falling over waterfalls, feeding bears, etc. The recent news about the guy who fell into the acid hot pool in Yellowstone. Today there is a story about a toddler who was dragged away by an alligator on Disney property in Florida. At 9:30 PM. What is a 2 year old doing near the water at 9:30 PM? Good grief. I feel really bad for the child. It was the parents' stupidity or lack of supervision that put the child at risk.

But unfortunately, stupidity is nothing new.


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[Winemaker]

DW and I hike all over this great country of ours. We carry bear spray and I carry a Glock 43 converted to a 10mm. DW has affinity for attracting wild life; and I don't mean the two legged kind.

Last year after lugging my Glock all over the countryside in Wyoming, I decided not to carry on a urban hike out of Steamboat, CO while returning to Denver.

DW wanted to eat lunch so we found an exceptable area and began to eat, other hikers and mountain bikers passed us by. While she finished up, I scouted ahead about 100 yds; when she screamed. I ran back only to find her with the bear spray out with the can in one hand and the spray nozzle in the other. I got the biggest a$$ chewing when she found out the Glock was still in the car.

We waited for others to come by before we returned through that path, figuring safety in numbers. We got through the bear area safely, only to confront a moose about 3 miles down the trail.

Moral: Make sure your bear spray is operational and intact, it will save you an a$$ chewing. It's worse than getting eaten by a bear.

[Redbugdave]

I think you will like this...Louis CK...Lions and Human Evolution...(it is clean)...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMOXmw4_aUU

[Car-Guy]

Happens even at/near world class resorts....

Walt Disney World Beaches, Marinas Closed After Alligator Drags Toddler Into Lake - ABC News

[DrRoy]

I will sometimes go past a rail for landscape photography, but I do not walk where it is specifically disallowed or approach wildlife, and I do not bring my dog, or leave any trash.

[eytonxav]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winemaker DW and I hike all over this great country of ours. We carry bear spray and I carry a Glock 43 converted to a 10mm. DW has affinity for attracting wild life; and I don't mean the two legged kind. Last year after lugging my Glock all over the countryside in Wyoming, I decided not to carry on a urban hike out of Steamboat, CO while returning to Denver. DW wanted to eat lunch so we found an exceptable area and began to eat, other hikers and mountain bikers passed us by. While she finished up, I scouted ahead about 100 yds; when she screamed. I ran back only to find her with the bear spray out with the can in one hand and the spray nozzle in the other. I got the biggest a$$ chewing when she found out the Glock was still in the car. We waited for others to come by before we returned through that path, figuring safety in numbers. We got through the bear area safely, only to confront a moose about 3 miles down the trail. Moral: Make sure your bear spray is operational and intact, it will save you an a$$ chewing. It's worse than getting eaten by a bear.

Had a Glock 20. 10MM is a great flat shooting round but I wouldn't want to use it for protection against a bear, especially those bears with the hump at the base of their necks.

[pjm-7]

At least the court at Yellowstone is going after these people. This guy wanted to take a sample of the thermal water.

Yellowstone Fines Visitor $1,000 For Walking Off Boardwalk

Also, the four Canadians who thought it would be funny to dance on a hot spring now have a court date with YNP to answer to a magistrate.

Canadian ‘High On Life’ Guys Set Phone Conference For YNP Federal Court

[Hermit]

Last Saturday morning I did cleanup along a well used 4-wheel road as part of our 4-wheel group service project. Drugs, alcohol, guns, squatters - as the forest service people referred to them. I spent the morning removing and painting over graffiti. A lot of camp sites in the area have been closed to try to control the craziness.

[MRG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DFW_M5 Had a Glock 20. 10MM is a great flat shooting round but I wouldn't want to use it for protection against a bear, especially those bears with the hump at the base of their necks.

Unless you are going with a wheelgun or something exotic(Desert Eagle) a 10mm is the hottest thing around. It's a puny 700 ft. pounds vs some 44 magnum loads at 1200 ft pounds. Some say bears don't read the ballistics data.

[2017ish]

A couple of references to graffiti. Did anyone else see this story from earlier this week (and from 2014)? I don't even have words....

Quote:

A 23-year-old San Diego woman was sentenced to two years' probation and 200 hours of community service for damaging some of the most picturesque rock formations in seven national parks by drawing or painting on them using acrylic paints and markers. Casey Nocket pleaded guilty to seven misdemeanor counts of damaging government property after painting a similar image called "Smoking Lady" and the handle "creepytings" on some of the most beautiful landscapes in the country, including on the beginning of the John Muir Trail in Yosemite. She would post photos of her drawings on her social media accounts.

Yosemite vandal sentenced for defacing rock formations in national parks - San Jose Mercury News

[Mulligan]

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Originally Posted by 2017ish A couple of references to graffiti. Did anyone else see this story from earlier this week (and from 2014)? I don't even have words.... Yosemite vandal sentenced for defacing rock formations in national parks - San Jose Mercury News

These idiots dont need prison time and wasting everyones tax dollars even more... They need an "exclusive mandatory appointment" with a Master Singapore Caner. The lasting impression from this visit would accomplish the same and save money.


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[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mulligan These idiots dont need prison time and wasting everyones tax dollars even more... They need an "exclusive mandatory appointment" with a Master Singapore Caner. The lasting impression from this visit would accomplish the same and save money.

True, but we all know that's not going to happen in the US justice system.

OTOH, there is some leeway in where he serves his sentence...

[photoguy]

What's amazing is that people like Nocket either thought that (1) they were doing nothing wrong or (2) believed they wouldn't get caught despite publicizing their crime on social media.