Bears, Bears, Bears

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Hi there,
I live in Edmonton and I am closest to Jasper, Alberta and also have camped in Kananaskis close to Calgary. There appears to be an increasing problem with bears. A few people ( 3 to 4 as I understand it) a year now are killed by bears in and around Jasper, Banff and the surrounding areas.
the numbers of berar attacks and bears killing people is increasing as we encroach on their habitat and they find easy pickings of food close to humans. Incidenently, a down hill biker was killed by a bear recently while cycling down a run at the Lodge in Panorama! My wife also quoted to me that she had heard of a Park Rangter who recently quit the Park service after 3 bear attacks on hikers. Last weekend she stayed a hotel in Jasper for a few days of R&R and the hotel gave out bear attack material and warned people to only go out in very large groups for saftery. I love backpacking and intend to do more, however my wife is now very scared of being attacked, mauled or eaten by a bear, while hiking on a trail. Of course, I have some concerns too. We have Bear Guard but again my wife is afraid that this will not be sufficient depending on the circumstances. Is there hikes that are close to Edmonton or Calgary that are less bear prone? What do other hikers do in regard to this in other areas of the Western Rockies? What hikes to people go on in the Western Rockies with potentially less problems. What experiences so other people have and what di they or do they do.

Comments please.

Terry

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