this post was submitted on 18 Aug 2023
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Georgia Camp and Hike
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Just creating a Lemmy substitute for the GeorgiaCampAndHike subreddit. This is for camping and hiking in the U.S. state of Georgia.
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Totally up for allowing others to moderate this as it grows. I just created this community to have a place to go. -/u/jecht360
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I’ve hiked with people who wear bells on their boots and people who bring Bluetooth speakers, both people did it because of bears. And bells are way worse.
The NPS says bells don't do much. They recommend a lot of noise, but human sounds, not bells.
https://www.nps.gov/articles/hiking-in-bear-country.htm
Not a valid reason. Bears mostly leave people alone if they are left alone. If you have a confrontation with a bear, I don’t know what a bell is going to do for you. Or Katy Perry
The noise is so you don't startle them. Better to let them know you're coming so they can either vocalize so you know to avoid them or they can avoid you themselves. The noise is about avoiding the confrontation entirely.
I’m not a bear so take it with a grain of salt, but I think the bells make bears think it’s Christmas time and they’re late to hybernatation. Idk if Katy Perry has the same affect but we were blasting Jingle Bells going up the trail head and we didn’t see any bears.
I've been to many national parks where the rangers tell you to make noise frequently in areas that have recent bear sightings. The idea is to not have a confrontation with a bear, by not accidentally sneakingo up on them. Generally they'll hear you coming and move along. You don't want to come around a corner and come face to face with some cubs or mama.