Watch Out for Wolves (Protect them and yourself)

Wolves in America are in serious trouble. While this news is in no way new, today it is more true than ever as the headlines across the nation are splashed with reports of the first confirmed wolf-on-human fatal attack in the United States. Already on the shaky side of a recovery from severe endangerment, wolves will likely be vilified in the wake of the terribly unfortunate death of an Alaskan woman this week.

According to reports, Alaskan teacher Candice Berner, 32, of Chignik Lake, Alaska was jogging when she was apparently attacked by 2 or 3 mature wolves. Berner was reported to be in excellent physical health although of diminutive stature at only 4'11" tall. Since she was listening to an mp3 player at the time of attack, it is assumed that she was unaware of the wolves' presence until they actually attacked. Berger had just recently moved to Alaska to teach Special Education from her native Pennsylvania. Her body was found by snowmobilers and showed evidence of a prolonged struggle with severe trauma to the throat and clear evidence that the bites occurred while the victim was still alive.

This is the first fatal wolf attack on a human in the United States and only the second alleged in North America. The first was an unconfirmed fatality in Canada in 2005 which is widely regarded by wildlife experts to have been more likely perpetrated by a Black Bear than wolves.

Wolves have been teetering on the brink of extinction in North America mainly due either directly (hunting) or indirectly (elimination of prey habitat) to human activity. Three highly controversial reintroduction programs in the United States have shown varying levels of success. The first was in 1991 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park when Red Wolves were reintroduced to their once native habitat after having been eliminated some 85 years prior. After 25 live births in the wild, the surviving wolves dwindled to a mere 7 adults who have since been assumed dead due to lack of contact.

The second reintroduction project was in 1995 where Grey Wolves were re-introduced to the Greater Yellowstone Eco-System of Idaho and Wyoming. This effort was met with a great deal of resistance from ranchers in the area. Efforts to include Montana in this reintroduction were blocked and a number of legal battles were fought in the name of keeping Wolves out of their former habitat. Today this reintroduction is largely successful with several strong, healthy packs roaming the Greater Yellowstone area. The battles, however rage on with land owners and ranchers fighting for rights to kill Wolves and biologists and environmental groups arguing the benefits throughout the ecosystem in having such a keystone species in place.

The final reintroduction program was in 1998 in Arizona where Mexican Wolves - on the brink of extinction in the 1980s were captured and reintroduced in Arizona. Today efforts are halfway to their goal with an estimated 50 of the targeted 100 wild individuals now roaming parts of Arizona and New Mexico.

Wolves are a keystone species and a highly skilled predator. They hunt in sophisticated social groups and have highly refined techniques of prey identification and selection. While Ms. Berner's death is undoubtedly a terrible tragedy, it is an inevitable result of ever-shrinking habitat for wild animals. Wolves in particular have been squeezed wherever they have existed by human expansion into unsurvivably small areas. The wolves that killed Ms. Berner are currently being hunted to be exterminated, but it is not because they we in some way diseased or deranged. In their natural state, wolves target prey that is easily isolated, small enough to take down without risk of injury, and slow enough to not outrun them in pursuit. Any human, male or female regardless of size, jogging alone in Alaska meets all of these criteria. While anti-wolf groups will undoubtedly grab hold of these headlines to make a concerted case for elimination of wild wolves in America, surprisingly, Ms. Berner's own father is able to keep things in remarkable perspective: "They're just doing what wolves do," Berner said. "Their nature happened to kill my daughter, but I don't have any anger towards wolves."

So what can we learn from this terrible tragedy? Any time we travel into wild spaces we are taking a risk. As human development continues to expand exponetially and further encroach on previously wild areas, encounters between wild animals and humans become more and more inevitable. Any time you're in the habitat of predatory or potentially dangerous animals you need to be aware and take precautions. When in areas where mountain lions, brown/grizzly bears, or wolves are known to live, don't ever travel alone and always carry some sort of emergency deterrent such as bear spray. While bear spray will not guarantee escape from an attack, the highly concentrated pepper spray will buy valuable time by making each of these species think twice about advancing further. Always be aware of your surroundings - mp3 players and the like have their place, but can be dangerous distractions outside of town limits. Being aware may make the difference between being able to scare off a predator and not, or avoiding any number of other potential dangers. Respect the power of nature and give it your full, undivided attention at all times. Know the potential dangers of the situations you enter and learn the skills necessary to respond should disaster strike.

Be safe out there.

Backcountry Lemmings: 'Into the Wild' Pilgrimage Blunders Continue

Since publication of the bestselling account of the travels and death of Chris McCandless, "Into the Wild," by Jon Krakauer and the release of the film by the same name directed by Sean Penn, a previously little-known corner of the Alaska wilderness has seen a boom in its backcountry traffic.


"Into the Wild" chronicles the inner conflicts, Kerouac-ian travels and ultimate demise of a well-to-do recent college graduate who abandons his worldly possessions to roam free and ultimately try his hand at survival in the Alaska wilderness near Denali National Park. His final destination was an old, abandoned, 1940's era bus that had been scrapped along the Stampede Trail near the borders of Denali NP. The bus had been converted over time by hunters and hikers into a makeshift shelter with a pipe stove and bunk and it was here, 22 miles from the road that McCandless lived for a short while before dying of starvation related to poisoning form foraged vegetation.

The "Magic Bus" Photo by Associated Press

The "Magic Bus" as McCandless dubbed it, has become a destination for fans of the book and movie who are curious to see the location or wish to pay homage to the story's protagonist, but many, like McCandless are woefully unprepared for the trip.

The most recent lemmings to demonstrate their backcountry ignorance on a national stage were 19-year-old Donald Carroll from Illinois and 21-year-old Jia Long He from China. They set out on the 22-mile trek in cotton street clothes with only minimal food and no equipment. According to a report by the Anchorage Daily News the pair set out on Friday and were last seen by hikers along the trail. On Monday, after being several days overdue, the pair were rescued via helicopter and were reported to be cold, wet and hungry, but otherwise fine. While the trip itself is not particularly arduous, it does require a level of preparation and skill beyond the typical looky-loo tourist. The crux of the trip is the Teklanika River which swells considerably in warmer months with snowmelt from the surrounding mountains and presents a significant challenge to hikers seeking to cross. In fact, it was this river that ultimately sealed the fate of McCandless who crossed initially when the Teklanika was only a small stream before the melt. When he fell ill and attempted to find egress from the wilderness the river had swelled considerably and presented as impassible.



Lessons to be learned?

• First of all, know your ability level. Carroll and his companion clearly had no backcountry skill at all. These types don't belong beyond a car-camping tent-site until they gain some knowledge and experience, let alone in the Alaska Backcountry.


• Second, dress for conditions. Cotton = Death. While synthetic fabrics such as polyester, nylon, and lycra and natural fibers such as wool continue to insulate when wet, cotton actually pulls warmth from your body when wet. This can occur even from perspiration. Hypothermia results from a drop in body temperature of only 3 degrees which can occur in even relatively mild conditions. Don't wear cotton (jeans, t-shirts, socks), even on a dayhike. The best bet is to dress in layers and add or remove layers as needed to prevent chill or sweating. Base-layer + insulating layer + outer shell (weatherproof) is the best formula for success (hey, its what the Navy Seals use!)


• Protect your feet. According to reports, Carroll was wearing tennis shoes with plastic bags covering them for the 22-mile trek in wet conditions. During my 7-month AT thru-hike I learned repeatedly that there are times that there's nothing you can do about wet feet - it happens. Even Gore-Tex footwear gets wet. The key is to dry your feet out when you can and don't let them stay wet. Bring at least one change of socks and let your feet dry out in camp at the very least. Wet feet can draw heat from your core quickly, not to mention how quickly wet skin gets damaged while supporting a load over miles of rough trail.


• Put gas in your tank. Bring adequate food and make sure that it includes carbs for instant energy, fat for stored fuel and protein for building and repairing muscle. One great ultralight and effective diet plan is one developed by Epic Adventurer Andrew Skurka for his 6,875 mile Great Western Loop (click for details).

Perhaps the most pathetic detail about this story is that this is not the first rescue for Mr. Carroll in Alaska....THIS SUMMER! In June he texted Rangers (yes, hes wa that close to civilization) for rescue after getting soaked while hiking near Mt Healy in blue Jeans and a Sweatshirt. The Stampede Trail requires no permit nor special arrangements for Backcountry Travel, so this will likely not be the last rescue story from the "Magic Bus." I personally think these people should be charged for the Search and Rescue effort including use of the helicopter. People who are reckless in the backcountry endanger not only themselves, but the professionals and volunteers that have to save them. Carroll has been warned by Alaska Rangers that if he's spotted hiking in Alaska again that he will be arrested. Sounds fair to me. Hike safe and happy trails.