Camping in Alaska

--> Camping in Alaska <--

To most people, camping in Alaska means one thing: bears. Lots and lots of bears. This stereotype does not go unwarranted; in ten days of rafting the Anasek and Noatak rivers my family and I saw a dozen grizzly bears.

One juvenile male even followed me down a river bank our first day in the bush. However, none of our food was eaten, nor were any of us threatened or eaten. With a little bit of care and preparation it's easy to camp in the Alaskan wilderness and be safe from bears.

One of the most important things to remember while camping in Alaska is that bears like the smell of food. What you don't want is for them to smell food on you, since that makes you smell a lot like food. This is bad. So, the best precaution you can take is to make sure that you keep your tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping area free from any smells of food. It is best to cook and eat all of your food at least 100 yards downwind of your tent site. Also, be sure to pack your food separately from your tent and sleeping bag, and don't keep other things that smell interesting like bug spray or toothpaste at your tent site.

Many people who camp in Alaska carry with them some sort of protection against bears, usually in the form of a firearm or can of bear spray. For years firearms were the only choice for protection against bears, but as time went by it became apparent that many people weren't comfortable carrying rifles and handguns with them into the woods.

On the other hand bear spray allows anyone to carry a bear repellant with them, and it's advisable to do so while camping in Alaska. Though you're likely never to need it, a can of bear spray can save your life in the unlikely event that you're attacked by a grizzly bear. Just be sure to point the spray downwind and to leave the area afterwards, as the spices left by the spray days later can be attractive to bears later on.

With a little bit of precaution a dose of protection, camping in Alaska can be done easily and safely and it will be a lot of fun. Just remember that the bears aren't the only danger; changing weather conditions are much more likely to catch campers off guard and unprepared. Remember to pack for any conditions and most importantly, be aware of what is happening around you.

Didn't find what you were looking for? Google is right here:

more traveling adventures:

9 Beach Vacation Ideas When it comes to go on your beach vacation, it can be very hard to pick a destination. There are many places you can go, whether you want to explore the beaches of Hawaii, just play golf in Georgia or relaxing on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Below, you'll find 9 ideas to help you decide on where to go for your...

Cheap Flights to Malaysia Malaysia is one of the most interesting destinations in Asia that you can travel. The country embodies all the appeal of Asia. However, Malaysia is a long trip and you should definitely consider finding cheap flights to Malaysia to have more money to spend on your vacation. Finding cheap flights to Malaysia or Europe...

Cheap Airplane Ticket There is sort of an art in finding a cheap airplane ticket, one that you can pick up on in just a few minutes, but can spend a whole lifetime trying to master. As one of the useful and practical skills a person living in a post industrial society could have, they really ought to teach how to find cheap airplane tickets in...

Cancun Spring Break When I think of spring break, I think of travel to a warm destination, preferably with a beach, lots of sun, fun, food, and drink. Are you with me? Spring break usually occurs in the third or fourth week of March, and many of us, whether students or not, are ready for a break from our daily routines, and in some areas of...

Adventure Travel Most of us have taken a travel trip sometime or the other in our lives. But if you have been on a travel trip in the recent past, you could not have failed to notice that a new category of travel has made itself very prominent. Known as 'Adventure Travel' this is a new way to travel that is not just popular among the youth...

Bestselling Travel Books on

Rick Steves' Italy 2010 with map
by Rick Steves
Amazon Price: $17.96
Customer Review: Great area maps for cities. Restaraunt recommendations at multiple price points, from street food to fine dining. Worth the price of book for information regarding skipping the lines at major attractions, we skipped extremely long lines in both Ven...

The Time Traveler's Wife
by Audrey Niffenegger
Amazon Price: $10.17
Customer Review: First, something you must know about me: I hate chick flicky romance novels, and avoid them like the plague. I probably would have never read this book, except that I knew it was on the best seller list for ages. Even when I decided to read it, I t...

The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2010 (Unofficial Guides)
by Bob Sehlinger
Amazon Price: $13.59
Customer Review: Our family has never been to Disney, and a friend suggested this book. I didn't start reading it until we were on the plane, but we already had our condo set, and our tickets, so those were two big sections I didn't need to read, but you may if you ...

Rick Steves' Italian Phrase Book and Dictionary
by Rick Steves
Amazon Price: $8.95
Customer Review: Rick Steves' Italian Phrase Book is a great quick guide resource to learn the basics in Italian. If you are looking for a book that's small enough to take along with you on a trip to Italy, this is the book for you. The book is split up into easy to ...

Into Thin Air
by Krakauer, Jon
Amazon Price:
Customer Review: My daughter needs to read this book for her summer reading program. The book was exactly as advertized. Thank You.

Bestselling Travel Books on

Warning: include(/home/psgroup/carp/amazonnewsfeed.php) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home2/twofivf2/public_html/justaway/camping-in-alaska.php on line 132

Warning: include() [function.include]: Failed opening '/home/psgroup/carp/amazonnewsfeed.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/lib64/php:/usr/lib/php') in /home2/twofivf2/public_html/justaway/camping-in-alaska.php on line 132