8/21/17 – The Forest Service has received a handful of reports of bear activity in the Boundary Waters this summer and has asked us to pass that information along to our customers.
Bears have been spotted in campsites on Ogishkemunchi, Gneiss, Knife, Duncan, and Seagull. There was no aggressive behavior in any of these cases, although some of the bears did make a mess.

Water bottles that the bears had chewed on. If you put drink mixes into your water bottles, it is a good idea to store them in your food pack at night. Bears love sweet scents!
Keeping a clean camp is key to preventing bear activity. Hang your food packs well above the ground, and not in the most obvious tree if possible
If you do see a bear, shoo it away by making yourself bigger than the bear (e.g. standing on your toes, arms above your head) and make a lot of noise.

Zoomed-in photo of one of this summer’s visitors. – Elena