I've decided that I was unnecessarily grumpy in my last post. The guy was taking a calculated risk, sure, but had taken steps to manage that risk. That's all I would ask of anybody.

I'm going to the mountains in a few days, walking solo in bear country. Just as I have done for the last quarter century.

I will walk with great awareness, I will watch for sign, I will make noise where visibility is limited, and I will keep a meticulously clean camp. Standard operating procedure. I will give myself permission to change routes or turn around if something doesn't feel right. I will leave word of my plans. I will also have a fresh cannister of bear spray ready for immediate use, just in case.

Some people might perceive this as a risky business. But I don't. I will manage as much of the risk as I can, make some allowance for surprises, and go. The game is worth the candle; I know I will be much more "alive" on the trail than I could ever be at the mall.

It reminds me of a quote from Colin Fletcher:
"But you know, if you stop to think, that at any moment, just when you least expect it, a lily or a thunderstorm or a moose, or just more sunlight slanting through different junipers, will tingle you into goose pimples. Or a rockface or river, a snake or sudden snowstorm will up and scare the arse off you -- to the immense benefit of your little universe."