I like to hike with my dog. This time of year I just might end up hiking with a few animals I don't enjoy sharing the trail with. Bears.
I often attach a big jingle bell to my dog's collar to warn the bears that we are hiking nearby. Fellow hikers have told me tales of meeting a bear on the path, but fortunately I haven't met one except in my own backyard--climbing the swing set and also going through trash cans. Bears in general aren't looking for you for dinner unless you have a picnic basket. But the idea that an ambling bear can also charge at 30 m.p.h. does put their power in perspective.
Now when I hike I also play some music sans earbuds on my iPhone or iPod Touch to warn the bears of our approach. Let me say I am not a wildlife expert, but in my highly unscientific study the bears in my neighborhood don't like Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, and Sara Bareilles.
Happy hiking. (BTW, the photo above doesn't feature a bear, at least that I know of.)
