this post was submitted on 21 Nov 2023
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At least with bears all you have to do is make a bit of noise, they'll hear you coming and bugger off since they don't want to deal with you. And while I would be cautious if there are cougar sightings in the area so long as you hike with a couple people (and you shouldn't be hiking alone in wilds in the first place!) the group should be enough to deter them. So long as you aren't stupid and try to take a selfie with a grizzly you'll be fine.
Spiders just have too many legs and move in a way that freaks me the fuck out. They're important to the ecosystem and all that, I just don't want to be anywhere near them if I can help it.
So people say stuff like that but people still get hurt and killed, or scared out of their minds being stalked by a cat on a trail at night etc.
I can camp alone in the open air at ground level, taking no particular care of my rubbish or anything and not deal with any bullshit unless I set up on an ants nest.
Nobody dies of spider bites anymore, people rarely even get bitten. Even if handling spiders. Hell a kangaroo is more likely to injure you than a spider.
I've been bitten 3 times in my life and all were from tiny harmless garden spiders after they got tangled in my clothing and stressed out. Pretty sure only one was an envenomed bite and that just itched less than a mozzie.
The worst incidents I've had with wildlife were (ranked in potential for serious harm, perceived at time)
1: a very angry wasp and a bowl of sugary cornflakes as a child.
2: When a group of roos decided they were curious about my camp and I had to extend my day trip for another couple of hours to let them clear out in their own time.
3: I was stoned in the bush and almost stepped on a baby brown snake. I saw and backed up, no dramas
4: I swam into a bluebottle once and deeply regretted the meeting.
See how mild they are? And spiders don't even feature.
Obviously when a huntsman fell on me in the shower once that gave me a start but all she did was bounce off and hide behind the dunny. I just guided her onto my hand and took her to some bark.
Lots of things in life can give you a mild shock, hell someone honking their horn makes me jump every time, but spiders almost never represent danger and almost always do their best to leave you alone.
Oh I'm not worried about bites or how venomous/poisonous they are, I'm aware that there's very few deadly spiders in the world and most are an irritation at most. I'm just arachnophobic and prefer to live where they've smaller and less common.
Maybe it's just because I was raised where bears/wolves/cougars were around and was taught from a young age how to behave in order to avoid/warn them and minimize contact. I've been hiking in the mountains nearly every summer for the past 20 some years, and the only predators I've encountered were a couple black bears that I came up on after a bend in the trail, my brother and I slowly backed away while talking loudly and they took off up the hillside. As far as bears go you only really have to worry about grizzlies and polar bears, and most of the time grizzlies will peace out when they here you coming.
With your example of being stalked at night by a cat, if you can avoid it you shouldn't hike during dawn/dusk or when it's dark out when they're at their most active. And if you can't avoid it, a group is a necessity since you do not want to be hiking alone in the mountains even under the best conditions. Hiking at night in the mountains is inadvisable anyway, even ignoring the cougar factor
The funny part is that it's not just the predators you need to be careful about, people underestimate herbivores like moose, elk, bison, even the smaller ones like deer and the various mountain sheep's and goats. Tourists think they're just big friendly cows and don't realize they're extremely protective of their young and not afraid to defend themselves.
Imo it's all about being prepared and knowing how to behave when visiting their homes. Don't provoke them, politely let them know you're around, clean up after yourself, and your problems with the wildlife should be few and far between. Just don't try to get closer to the bears for a good picture like I've seen some people try to do and you'll be fine
Right but that's the thing! Bushwalking at night (with light) is fine and safe here, you don't have to think about large dangerous animals.
People that can learn to cope with all that feeling like they wouldn't be able to get used to spiders is so confusing!