Bear Problems - Mt. Mitchell & surrounding areas ?
 

Hearing that they are having lots of problems w/emerging bears this Spring. Any first hand knowledge ? Want to go camping next week for Spring Break but don't want to have to deal w/that, w/2 young kids in tow...

Not first hand, but the warnings sound serious -
http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/momi/main.php

Black bears have been active in and around the park, inflicting damage to vehicles and camping equipment. All of these incidents have resulted from the improper storage of food, toiletries, and trash.

NEVER feed bears. They can lose their fear of people and may have to be destroyed.

NEVER leave food unattended, even if in coolers. Secure ONLY in bear-proof container or car trunk with windows completely rolled up.


Campground Safety
You MUST secure all food, garbage, and any items that might smell like food to a bear (toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, cosmetics, pet food, cooking and cleaning supplies, stove fuel, etc.) in the bear-proof storage container available at each campground site.

Backcountry Camping and Hiking Safety
Foraging bears have been active and sometimes aggressive at the Commissary Ridge area. Bear-resistant food canisters or storage sacks are highly advised, otherwise food MUST be hung correctly at least 150 feet away from tent. Food bags should hang 5- feet below the branch, 5-feet from the tree trunk, and be at least 10-feet off the ground. Bears can and will climb trees and can easily reach food bags suspended at heights under 10 feet.

Failing to behave properly places you and your fellow visitors at risk for property damage and severe personal injury.

Updated: 2011-04-13 11:04:20

Wow. The camping update says that the water is turned off at the campground due to below freezing temps -

<i>Weather update, 0800 hrs- Current temperature is 30 degrees; clear blue skies. There was a trace amount of snow last night. The year-to-date total of snow is 143".

Camping: The water has been turned on at the campground. Flush toilets and sinks are available. Our regular camping rates are now in effect- $20/night.</i>

I'd call the ranger before your trip to check on the bears and water for next week.

Oops! I read that wrong. Sorry.

Water is on. Traces of snow last night. I just checked "my" mountains and it's going down to 30 degrees tonight. Brrr!

Let's look at some facts about the danger you face.

What are the odds that of a fatality while you drive from Charlotte to Mount Mitchell?
The distance is about forty miles (I used the city of Mount Mitchell, change this if the mileage is different). Last year there were 33,000 traffic fatalities during the 21 billion miles driven last year. In other words, for every mile you drive a car, there is about one chance in 636000 that there will be a fatality. Thus, a forty mile drive would increase your odds to about one chance in 160000. Those are pretty favorable odds, I'd say, so I wouldn't recommend you cancel the trip over fear of dying during your drive.

What are the odds that you will be killed by a bear while being in North Carolina? My guess is that it would be about the number of fatal bear attacks in North Carolina over the last 100 years -- ZERO!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._North_America

It's true that bear attack that results in some stitches will make CNN, while an car accident that kills your entire family won't. But I'll say it again -- even if it doesn't make the national news, YOU'RE STILL DEAD. Since the odds of a bear attack are FAR less than a car accident, I wouldn't cancel this trip over fear of a bear attack, either.

I have met bears in the wild over a dozen times in the last ten years or so, usually while driving; but sometimes in a campground and occasionally while hiking alone. I have NEVER felt threatened, mainly because I understand basic "Bear Aware" concepts.
http://www.centerforwildlifeinformat...ncounters.html
If you approach the possibility of bears in a campground with the same caution you would dogs in your neighborhood (the latter being FAR more dangerous, by any definition of danger), you can reduce the danger to pretty much zero.

You have a marvelous opportunity in being able to teach your children to approach wildlife such as bears neither with terror nor with nonchalance, but with respect. If you are lucky enough to see bears in your campground (as I was), you can teach them to enjoy the bears from a distance, neither running in terror (which, BTW, is the WORST thing you could do) nor approaching them as if they were Yogi and Boo Boo. In other words, treating bears the same way you treat a dog in your neighborhood, or a deer in your campground.

Best wishes on actually seeing a bear in the wild -- one the true joys of outdoors I continue to enjoy every time it happens!

"Best wishes on actually seeing a bear in the wild -- "

I think he's more concerned about seeing a bear in the campground in the middle of the night - with two little ones in the tent. ;)

Paul - I am not concerned about my own safety nor running into bears, if it were just me. I am well versed in 'bear protocol'. However, I do not wish to put my young children (6 & 8) in harms way. Particularly when we are in very close proximity to Mt. Mitchell & can visit anytime.
BTW - Your example in comparing car safety to wild animals is ludicrous @ best. I have control over my motor vehicle, however, I have zero control over any type of wild animal. But, being the good sport that I am - I will be more than happy to reserve you a spot in the campground in question w/an ample supply of food. Perhaps you can 'bait' them into your campsite. While you're at it, take a moment & share the rules w/the bears as well, OK ??
I am guessing you have no children ? Or perhaps they were eaten by bears due to your total lack of parenting skills ?

starrs - That was one of my original sources of info, thanks.

SAn, a true story - all my life I had the same nightmare and the details were always exactly the same. I'd been sent out to the car to get something at night, bears starting attacking - jumping on top of the car, trying to get in the windows - and I was terrified. I could see my family safely inside the house but no one knew the bears were trying to get in the car. I'd wake up screaming. Truly terrified. A few years ago I happened to mention it to my older sister. She looked at me funny and said "Well, that happened." What?!?! it turns out that when I was two years old, we were camping in the Smokies (just like we did every year), bears came into the campground and did exactly what my mind remembered - but I didn't. The family slept in the car that night. The funny thing is, as soon as I was told it really happened the nightmare stopped. I guess my subconcious remembered - and relived it - when I didn't.

I'm okay with bears in the wild - and even in the neighborhood. We have years when mama bear strolls down the road with her cubs in the middle of the day (I live just outside a state park in prime bear habitat). I don't have bird feeders or hummingbird feeders or leave trash outside. So, I can happily coexist with bears - as long as I have walls between us when we sleep.

If there are ranger warnings about increased bear activity in the campground, there's no way in hell I'd spend the night in that campground in a tent. Paul is probably right about the stats - but I wouldn't do it with little ones. Heck, the first time I camped in Yellowstone I unloaded everything from the SUV into the tent and slept in the SUV. I was fine everywhere else, but with griz? I wasn't going to take any chances ;)

When making my point about bear safety, I attempted to be as factual and as positive as possible; as I feared this discussion might descend to an exchange of insults. I will continue to raise the hope that your children will be privileged to see bears in the wild, thus giving you the chance for them to give these animals the respectful distance that is beneficial to both species.

My example was admittedly flawed, but it is NOT ludicrous. It doesn't matter how safely you drive; it also matters how safely OTHERS drive. If a drunk in a pickup truck crosses the center line and hits your car head-on, or a driver on meth rear-ends your car with his 18-wheeler; it doesn't matter how much control you have over YOUR car. You'll still be in a accident, and likely dead.
And, yes, you DO have a LOT of control over wild animals. If you make your campsite free of temptations for black bears, they will NOT enter your tent. They probably won't even come around, simply because black bears are so terrified of humans that they only approach us if there's a chance at food. Take away the food, you've controlled the wild bear.

> share the rules w/the bears as well, OK?
Bears obey the rules of their species a LOT better than drunk drivers obey the rules of driving. There has been NOT ONE fatality in North Carolina due to bear attacks in the last century -- can you say the same for drunk drivers killing families in a car with a sober parent driving?

I'm not sure why you think I would bait them in a campsite, as I've hope I've made clear that is NOT the thing to do. My seeing bears in the campground I was staying in was a random blessing, not an intent on my part. They walked in, they walked out; and my attempt to get a photo was spoiled by the low level of the morning light. Fortunately, I got some great photos when they wandered by the side of the road later that day.

I'm not naive about the dangers of black bears-- if they want your food, they will smash your car or rip off your hand to get it. As with the dogs that (I assume) are in your neighborhood, children must be taught certain rules to avoid trouble. But I conclude the positives of seeing wild animals (including bears) far out-weigh the dangers of being in an area with bears, deers, or dogs. You may disagree about the positives, fine -- but let's at least agree about the relative dangers, okay?

I applaud your desire for the safety of your children while driving and while camping. If you do take them into bear country, I assume you will teach them not to hassle, approach, or bait bears. I also assume you teach the same for dogs in your neighborhood and for deer (which, each year, kill more people than bears) in the wild. Why do I assume this? Because I do not take a difference of opinion on relative dangers as meaning a "total lack of parenting skills" on your part. Maybe that means I'm too positive a person, but it's the way I am.

LOL!

I think this basically boils down to common sense. When bears first come out in the Spring, they are at their absolute most dangerous. There are good times to see bears & there are bad times. THIS is not a good time based on the information I have been able to glean from the internet.
It is one thing to deal with a chance encounter, it is something altogether different to tempt fate & 'invite' trouble, or @ the very least, put my children & myself in harms way as you would suggest 'to see a bear in its natural environment' - while it is protecting its young & looking for food - No Thank You.
It is not about being positive, it is about using your head to make a rational decision based on the inherent risk & potential for a dangerous situation to occur.

definition - control - To exercise authoritative or dominating influence over.
Control - really ??!

You say - 'yes, you DO have a LOT of control over wild animals. If you make your campsite free of temptations for black bears, they will NOT enter your tent. They probably won't even come around, simply because black bears are so terrified of humans that they only approach us if there's a chance at food. Take away the food, you've controlled the wild bear.'

Any person w/any type of animal/environmental background would argue your point. You can take a multitude of disasters w/animals from the SeaWorld killer whale incident to the guy who lived w/the Grizzlys. I wonder what they would think about your statement, but wait...they are dead. Because to the animal, they crossed some line or made a mistake, they most assuredly didn't even know they were making. Your statement is simply NOT true or valid. BTW- 'Probably' doesn't equate to good enough odds for me.
We'll be camping elsewhere...

At a campground in Nantahala National Forest some years ago, I shivered in terror as a bear wandered through the site bashing trashcans and people's equipment while looking for food.

My wife slept soundly. In the morning she told me she wasn't worried because she didn't think the bear could unzip the tent!

We were in the cabin on Mt. Leconte one time when a bear came through. The latch on the door wasn't very good so we tied the door closed with panty hose and now that I write this I wonder why the heck anyone had any!!
Hadn't heard about the bears per se. Are you going to Black Mountain Campground--not backpacking on MT Mitchell? Which.
I guess forewarned is very good, and be VERY careful about putting your food in the car (if so).
Have fun. Mother's Day was always our first camping trip as a family.
San--we have some really nice camping dutch ovens if you don't and would like to use them. Blueberry cobbler? Beef stew in the wood fire coals?

When we camped at Mt. Mitchell we had a skunk.

I think I'm going to skip on Mt Mitchell ;)

We remained calm, lol!

Like I stated prior, (or maybe I didn't) I have encountered bears before. My children, however, have not (in the wild)...& who knows how they would react? Not really something I care to 'roll the dice on'. You can train & educate all you want, but until it happens, no one really knows what they may do when faced w/that type of situation. I don't expect that my 6 & 8 yr olds would apperciate me putting them in that type of situation to begin with...so I won't.

SAn, saw this on Facebook and thought of you. In case you head Asheville-way this weekend -

Mast General Store
Meet some of the volunteers from Appalachian Bear Rescue at the Mast Store in Asheville on Saturday, April 16, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. This organization has been rescuing, rehabilitating, and reintroducing bears back into the wild since 1996.

Two fatal black bear attacks in Tennessee in the last 11 years. None in NC. Thats all I know.