Scaring hikers and goats

(SitNews) Ketchikan, Alaska - During our last reprieve from atmospheric distress, I felt obligated to get to the top of Deer Mountain and actually see something other than fog. There were already a few cars at the trailhead and I caught some hikers in a few minutes.There really is no safe, easy way to let people know you are behind them, because hiking is typically a solitary endeavor...unless you’re on a main trail in a place like Yosemite.With the lingering thought that there could be a bear, deer, mountain goat or angry big foot around any turn, a loud noise can make the self-preservation, or frozen-in-terror, response of your fellow hiker kick in and all bets are off.A few years ago I was riding my bike in California and as I was about to pass a walker, I assertively announced I was on her right. She panicked at the unsuspecting sound, turned, assumed a textbook defensive stance with arms out, screamed, then froze directly in my path. I avoided her by going off the trail and almost into a tree.See full column at:http://www.sitnews.us/JLund/110314_jlund.html