[monochrome]

Sorry to hear that. I haven’t experienced negativity around here at all. On the urban coasts I don’t feel at all welcome, but inland is still cheerful, welcoming and helpful.

[aslyfox]

Next to correct footwear is the correct socks. Don’t overstuff the boots with thick socks, which constricts the foot and blood flow. Cold feet in winter is caused primarily by too tight footwear and not wearing a hat. . . .

God created a few perfect heads, the rest he covered with hair

regardless of your hair, perhaps a hat should be considered when outside,

without a hat there is some heat loss * in the cold and exposure to UV regardless of temperature which can cause skin cancer

* note, I am not saying how much heat is lost without a hat, but it is undeniable that you do lose some heat if not wearing a hat in the cold

__________________________

. . . The last trip I took to the USA, I never felt comfortable. It's sad, there is some lovely scenery and I've made many trips to the American Southwest over the years, but the last time I was across the line, there was a meanness in the air that I had never felt before, and that I really didn't like.

I also feel sorry to hear about your experience.

[lesmore49]

For me, by far the biggest threat to health and safety is the people you may run into. For the most part, animals will steer clear of you, certainly if you leave them alone, it should be mutual.
I travel with a Rottweiler. They are big enough to be a little bit intimidating, and strong enough to carry quite a bit of my equipment. Bears will steer clear of dogs given the chance. They don't need the hassle.
One thing that I have changed in my travel habits is that I no longer travel south of the border. The last trip I took to the USA, I never felt comfortable. It's sad, there is some lovely scenery and I've made many trips to the American Southwest over the years, but the last time I was across the line, there was a meanness in the air that I had never felt before, and that I really didn't like.

Sorry to hear that. My wife and I travel across the border every so often...usually Northern Minnesota, the Dakotas...and we were in Montana and Wyoming about three years ago. The people we interact with were/are nice, friendly, easy to talk to.

When I was a young kid in the '50's and early '60's my family camped in Minnesota and when I figure out the total time I spent there, during that time, was probably about 16-18 months. We'd spend the entire summers . I have warm memories of my time spent in the states and with Americans.

[Wheatfield]

Sorry to hear that. My wife and I travel across the border every so often...usually Northern Minnesota, the Dakotas...and we were in Montana and Wyoming about three years ago. The people we interact with were/are nice, friendly, easy to talk to.

When I was a young kid in the '50's and early '60's my family camped in Minnesota and when I figure out the total time I spent there, during that time, was probably about 16-18 months. We'd spend the entire summers . I have warm memories of my time spent in the states and with Americans.

Yeah. I had relatives in northwest Montana, near a small town called Libby. We generally went to visit them for a couple of weeks every summer. I think the only times we missed were when we went to visit family in Seaforth Ontario, and one summer when my dad hurt his back loading the car, and the trip was called off. This would have been in the early 1960s to when I stopped traveling with them in the mid 1970s.
The last time I was in the States was a few years ago, and I sensed a seething anger just waiting to boil over from a lot of the people I ran into.
One of the last times my wife and I traveled there on vacation, I was mistaken for a deer by a hunter who was, fortunately, a lousy shot. He put a bullet past my head close enough that I felt it go by and pinged it off a rock about 10 feet from me.
I really don't need that kind of stuff in my life. I want to die at the hands of a jealous husband, not somebody who can't tell the difference between a deer and a person.
Too many angry people, and too many lunatics with firearms for my taste.

[monochrome]

God created a few perfect heads, the rest he covered with hair

regardless of your hair, perhaps a hat should be considered when outside,

without a hat there is some heat loss * in the cold and exposure to UV regardless of temperature which can cause skin cancer

* note, I am not saying how much heat is lost without a hat, but it is undeniable that you do lose some heat if not wearing a hat in the cold

__________________________



I also feel sorry to hear about your experience.

40% of your blood in in your head. Your head is a heat exchanger. Cold extremities mean the body is protecting itself by restricting blood flow to them to keep the blood and core warm. So if your feet are cold, wear a hat.

[dstar]

Yeah. I had relatives in northwest Montana, near a small town called Libby. We generally went to visit them for a couple of weeks every summer. I think the only times we missed were when we went to visit family in Seaforth Ontario, and one summer when my dad hurt his back loading the car, and the trip was called off. This would have been in the early 1960s to when I stopped traveling with them in the mid 1970s.
The last time I was in the States was a few years ago, and I sensed a seething anger just waiting to boil over from a lot of the people I ran into.
One of the last times my wife and I traveled there on vacation, I was mistaken for a deer by a hunter who was, fortunately, a lousy shot. He put a bullet past my head close enough that I felt it go by and pinged it off a rock about 10 feet from me.
I really don't need that kind of stuff in my life. I want to die at the hands of a jealous husband, not somebody who can't tell the difference between a deer and a person.
Too many angry people, and too many lunatics with firearms for my taste.

Why not simple put bullet to idiot hunter head if he had even

[Wheatfield]

Why not simple put bullet to idiot hunter head if he had even

I’m a Canadian. Similar in many ways, but very different in other ways to you guys. One of the major differences is the American affinity for firearms is not a shared value.

I want to clarify that what may seem like a thread jack was not meant to be. There are parts of my country that I won’t set foot in as well.

To the OP, your best survival skill is situational awareness.

[clackers]

I want to die at the hands of a jealous husband, not somebody who can't tell the difference between a deer and a person.

Yeah, quote of the day, for mine.

[StevenLS]

Thanks for all the practical advice, inspiration and humor you shared. I appreciate the time you reflected on my question and your reponses to others experiences.

[ChrisPlatt]

A coworker was found dead in a state park Upstate. They didn't tell us how he died.
It was a closed casket. He was not a gun guy, so perhaps some critters got to the body.

Chris

[MarkJerling]

If you're going into the wilderness on your own, a Personal Locator Beacon is a must.
Something like the RESQLINK™ 406 MHZ GPS PLB-375 is ideal in that it requires free registration and no ongoing fees. The battery will be good for 10 years minimum and will allow the device to broadcast your location for between 24 and 40 hours even at freezing temperatures.

[MarkJerling]

Yeah. I had relatives in northwest Montana, near a small town called Libby. We generally went to visit them for a couple of weeks every summer. I think the only times we missed were when we went to visit family in Seaforth Ontario, and one summer when my dad hurt his back loading the car, and the trip was called off. This would have been in the early 1960s to when I stopped traveling with them in the mid 1970s.
The last time I was in the States was a few years ago, and I sensed a seething anger just waiting to boil over from a lot of the people I ran into.
One of the last times my wife and I traveled there on vacation, I was mistaken for a deer by a hunter who was, fortunately, a lousy shot. He put a bullet past my head close enough that I felt it go by and pinged it off a rock about 10 feet from me.
I really don't need that kind of stuff in my life. I want to die at the hands of a jealous husband, not somebody who can't tell the difference between a deer and a person.
Too many angry people, and too many lunatics with firearms for my taste.

Yikes, that's a close call Bill!

[rogerstg]

Yeah. I had relatives in northwest Montana, near a small town called Libby. We generally went to visit them for a couple of weeks every summer. . . .One of the last times my wife and I traveled there on vacation, I was mistaken for a deer by a hunter who was, fortunately, a lousy shot. He put a bullet past my head close enough that I felt it go by and pinged it off a rock about 10 feet from me.

Wow, I'm glad you're alright, though I suspect you may have been getting close to someone's marijuana patch since deer season is late fall, not summer. Illicit drug cultivation is a big problem in remote areas. It brings up a good safety point for nature photographers though: during any hunting season, we should at least wear a hunter orange hat. It's the law in many states. Fortunately, the risk is pretty low. Fatalities from hunters misidentifying targets is fewer than 1 per 100,000 hunters, compared with annual deaths from auto accident of ~14 per 100,000 vehicles. Still, it's better to be safe than sorry.

[normhead]

Wow, I'm glad you're alright, though I suspect you may have been getting close to someone's marijuana patch since deer season is late fall, not summer. Illicit drug cultivation is a big problem in remote areas. It brings up a good safety point for nature photographers though: during any hunting season, we should at least wear a hunter orange hat. It's the law in many states. Fortunately, the risk is pretty low. Fatalities from hunters misidentifying targets is fewer than 1 per 100,000 hunters, compared with annual deaths from auto accident of ~14 per 100,000 vehicles. Still, it's better to be safe than sorry.

There used to be a marijuana patch in the bush near us. We were warned never to go up one trail on the way to Perly's chute. When the harvest was close for a couple weeks it was said there were armed guards with automatic weapons up that way. But I've seen no sign of them for years, and we can all legally grow our own now. Legalization has made the woods safer.

[Wheatfield]

Wow, I'm glad you're alright, though I suspect you may have been getting close to someone's marijuana patch since deer season is late fall, not summer. Illicit drug cultivation is a big problem in remote areas. It brings up a good safety point for nature photographers though: during any hunting season, we should at least wear a hunter orange hat. It's the law in many states. Fortunately, the risk is pretty low. Fatalities from hunters misidentifying targets is fewer than 1 per 100,000 hunters, compared with annual deaths from auto accident of ~14 per 100,000 vehicles. Still, it's better to be safe than sorry.

That incident actually happened in Idaho in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest in mid September. I was standing on some rocks somewhat away from the shore of the Selway River, but well within rock throwing distance of the Selway road, photographing the Selway River falls. The hunter, if that is what he was, was shooting towards a road, and hadn't bothered to make sure of what he was shooting at.
I'm not going to get into statistics other than: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."

Thanks for the kind thoughts. I'm glad I'm alright too. It does give one pause to reflect when that sort of thing happens.