goobglib
Member
Hi,
First, thanks for taking the time to read this thread. I'll get right to it: I've couchsurfed and vandwelled a hundred times (literally) without problems, but I have reservations about sleeping under the stars. My reservations are mostly about wildlife killing me. I've read up on wilderness safety here on StP and beyond, but, some circumstances seem to be out of one's control. I'm posting this thread with this new question: are these things simply "too bad" situations?
For example, let's say I smell like the peanut butter I ate for dinner and I lie down in the forest. I'm worried that I'm going to wake up to a nice mauling by a bear. To take another, what prevents a snake or scorpion or spider from bumping into me intro the middle of the night and out of their own fear, attacking me? If I'm on foot, it's unlikely that I'll be able to safely get to some medical help. If the creature is small enough, I might not even feel their bite, and it's possible that I simply wouldn't wake up, right? The same might apply to an encounter with a racoon of opossum. Trying to secure my food from them might wind up getting me bitten, and if the animal has rabies, this could be another fatality. Finally, anyone have any info on cougars? Are they a serious threat, especially alone?
I realize that these scenarios are merely hypothetical, but undeniably possible while wilderness living. Please excuse these worries of mine, I'm not backing down, just looking for some peace of mind. If I had a tribe of friends to go with, that'd be a different story. I'd think we could maybe scare off a threat!
thanks in advance
First, thanks for taking the time to read this thread. I'll get right to it: I've couchsurfed and vandwelled a hundred times (literally) without problems, but I have reservations about sleeping under the stars. My reservations are mostly about wildlife killing me. I've read up on wilderness safety here on StP and beyond, but, some circumstances seem to be out of one's control. I'm posting this thread with this new question: are these things simply "too bad" situations?
For example, let's say I smell like the peanut butter I ate for dinner and I lie down in the forest. I'm worried that I'm going to wake up to a nice mauling by a bear. To take another, what prevents a snake or scorpion or spider from bumping into me intro the middle of the night and out of their own fear, attacking me? If I'm on foot, it's unlikely that I'll be able to safely get to some medical help. If the creature is small enough, I might not even feel their bite, and it's possible that I simply wouldn't wake up, right? The same might apply to an encounter with a racoon of opossum. Trying to secure my food from them might wind up getting me bitten, and if the animal has rabies, this could be another fatality. Finally, anyone have any info on cougars? Are they a serious threat, especially alone?
I realize that these scenarios are merely hypothetical, but undeniably possible while wilderness living. Please excuse these worries of mine, I'm not backing down, just looking for some peace of mind. If I had a tribe of friends to go with, that'd be a different story. I'd think we could maybe scare off a threat!
thanks in advance