OT: The Avalounge but every time someone posts the quality declines

[Bubba Thudd]

That's a pretty safe bet as half of Canada is a wasteland.

Which half? The above-ground half?

 

[UncleRisto]

Which half? The above-ground half?

All of Western Canada.

 

[Foppberg]

That's a pretty safe bet as half of Canada is a wasteland.

True. Labrador is another level of wasteland compared to the rest of the provinces though.

 

[Cousin Eddie]

True. Labrador is another level of wasteland compared to the rest of the provinces though.

Churchill produces hydro for a large chunk of the country. Certainly a lot of wasteland in Labrador but it's resources are pretty large.

 

[S E P H]

There are no grizzlies in Colorado, 100% extinct.

Moose are the ones that scare the crap out of me. Especially if you have dogs with you. They are also the perfect size to kill you if you hit one with a car. And they won't budge if they see you coming. They will stare you down until you are both dead. I came within a few feet of hitting one, pretty terrifying.

You sure? I don't think Grizzlies in Northwest Colorado next to Wyoming border would be out of the question. Actually you might be right, if that's the case I am thankful for that. I am in no way a hunter, don't really get it, but Grizzlies are an exception.
First grizzly attack of 2017 raises questions about bears' Colorado future

Agreed, Moose are like the North American version of Elephants. Quite territorial, insanely dangerous during mating season, and are huge enough not to get scared by anything.

Aren’t brown bears and grizzly bears the same thing?

In general, the vast majority of wild animals in Colorado have zero interest in messing with people. Mountain lions could, but I believe they prefer prey much smaller than themselves.

The two real dangers are moose, and any animal with babies/cubs. I read that the second most dangerous wild animal one could come across in the wild in the US, is a mother moose with a cub next to her (2nd to a polar bear in Alaska).

I’ve encountered a momma moose with a cub three times in the past 5 years, every time near Berthoud Pass/Winter Park. Once, my friend’s deaf 15 year old dog was with us, while hiking the Jim Creek trail. That was effing scary.

I thought brown bears were in between black bears and grizzlies? And that they're more aggressive than even grizzlies and black bears.

Mountain lions are still scary, but I don't think they are as dangerous as Moose or Bears are personally. They tend to be limited in size and prefer to stalk smaller prey as you mention.

Seemingly the only animal I haven't run into on a trail is a mountain lion. And I'm okay with that. They are god damn scary.

Bears aren't bad usually until they get domesticated to humans. We had a bunch in Durango rummaging through trash and generally not giving a **** about people. A bunch of bears had to be shot this year, which is incredibly sad. The city needs to get it together and provide bear proof dumpsters to everyone. We jerry rigged ours to prevent bears getting into it, but it only worked with smaller bears.

So you've come across wolves then even though how insanely rarer they are? I think I would much rather cross paths with Moose and bear than a pack of wolves.

Also isn't it illegal to have a overfull dumpster in case of bears? I remember hearing or reading that you can get fined upwards to 300 or so bucks. Seems like a law that is way stricter in the mountain areas.

 

[henchman21]

I frequently backpack in the Wind River Range in Wyoming (complete hidden gem for you outdoorsy types... it isn't crowded like Colorado and every bit, if not more beautiful)... I've seen wolves fairly frequently. They are not really a scary sight to me... most of the time I've seen them, they've been shocked to see me and get the hell out. I will say on a solo trip, hearing them close at night can be unsettling.

 

[ASmileyFace]

So you've come across wolves then even though how insanely rarer they are? I think I would much rather cross paths with Moose and bear than a pack of wolves.

Also isn't it illegal to have a overfull dumpster in case of bears? I remember hearing or reading that you can get fined upwards to 300 or so bucks. Seems like a law that is way stricter in the mountain areas.

No wolves. They haven't made it south across I-80 in Wyoming yet and I haven't been in the BC there like hench (I plan on visiting soon). I'd rather run into wolves than a pissed off moose I think. I've seen moose a bunch and calling them big is a understatement. Incredible creatures.

Grizz are another story. The last confirmed grizzly in Colorado was killed in San Juan County, CO sometime in the 1910s. They are so much bigger than black and brown bears that I just don't have to context to know what seeing one in the wild would be like.

My town was really lenient on enforcement of our bear bin policy. This season was particularly bad so they finally passed a new law to fine people who leave trash unsecured. Now the town needs to own up to their of the deal and provide real bear proof bins. The ones we have now can barely keep a cub out.

 

[McMetal]

Anybody else watching the new Syfy series "Happy!"? God, this is some twisted, sick, hilarious shit, I'm only two episodes in and it's amazing, but I'm shocked at what they're getting away with. It's based on a graphic novel, but this is some full on Jhonen Vasquez/Mark Millar/Warren Ellis level stuff as far as how profane, hyperviolent and cynical it is. It's a f***ed up surrealist nightmare, and if you have a deranged sense of humor, watch it, seriously.

 

[Tweaky]

If you see a "brown" bear in Colorado, it is almost certain that it is a Cinnamon bear (Ursus americanus cinnamomum), which is a subspecies of black bear. It would not surprise me (much) to hear or see a grizzly in Colorado, but I would not bet on it. There is no small brown bear in North America. Kodiak are the biggies. The coastal browns are larger than grizzlies due to higher protein diet (fish). But the interbreeding between coastal and grizzly is a continuum....farther inland is proportially more grizzly, and smaller. Even in Wyoming, the grizzly population is centered on Yellowstone and the Tetons.

I will add another vote to the moose are intimidating pile. Maine or Yellowstone, both big, dumb and scary. Elephants much less scary....wont catch me trying to ride a moose.

 

[Bubba Thudd]

We ended the last Avalounge thread simply because it hit 1000.
Time to lock this one up, too...

Who decided Bubba Ceremony gets to be the creator of the Avalounge for all eternity?

 

[UncleRisto]

If you see a "brown" bear in Colorado, it is almost certain that it is a Cinnamon bear (Ursus americanus cinnamomum), which is a subspecies of black bear. It would not surprise me (much) to hear or see a grizzly in Colorado, but I would not bet on it. There is no small brown bear in North America. Kodiak are the biggies. The coastal browns are larger than grizzlies due to higher protein diet (fish). But the interbreeding between coastal and grizzly is a continuum....farther inland is proportially more grizzly, and smaller. Even in Wyoming, the grizzly population is centered on Yellowstone and the Tetons.

I will add another vote to the moose are intimidating pile. Maine or Yellowstone, both big, dumb and scary. Elephants much less scary....wont catch me trying to ride a moose.

Maybe you would if they did to moose what they do to elephants to achieve that.

 

[ABasin]

I frequently backpack in the Wind River Range in Wyoming (complete hidden gem for you outdoorsy types...

An absolutely incredible place. I did a three day hiking trip there a few years back, and myself and my 2 friends did not see a single other human being the entire time. Simply awesome.

 

[ABasin]

Mountain lions are still scary, but I don't think they are as dangerous as Moose or Bears are personally. They tend to be limited in size and prefer to stalk smaller prey as you mention.

Yeah, moose are the worst. They're basically afraid of nothing, as they pretty much have no natural predators, except for a pack of wolves (which is why they really dislike dogs). My understanding is that their eyesight is quite poor, so in general, if you leave them alone, they'll leave you alone.

I do a lot of dispersal camping in Grand and Jackson counties (the Park Range is fabulous), and I come in relatively close contact with a moose almost every single time. I have dozens of pictures of them. I have one shot that I took while standing next to the passenger side mirror of my parked car, and the moose was walking right next to the driver's side mirror of my car. Close encounter, that one.

 

[Bonzai12]

Is Wind River close to Pinedale? I used to travel there for work all the time. The camping spots along the highway between Pinedale and Jackson Home were incredible. And even Pinedale being as small as it is - it’s a great little town to be in.

With global warming it will be interesting to see what happens over the years. Got a feeling we (or rather our grandchildren) will all be living near the Canadian border in 100 years.

 

[UncleRisto]

Oh boy.

 

[Foppberg]

Know what's also scary? That all these threats, warnings, and general craziness that goes on now I don't even really get phased when I hear or see that stuff. Like a frog slowly being boiled.

 

[hockeyfish]

Is Wind River close to Pinedale? I used to travel there for work all the time. The camping spots along the highway between Pinedale and Jackson Home were incredible. And even Pinedale being as small as it is - it’s a great little town to be in.

With global warming it will be interesting to see what happens over the years. Got a feeling we (or rather our grandchildren) will all be living near the Canadian border in 100 years.

Yeah. I've had some of my drunkest nights in Pinedale.

 

[agentblack]

Anybody else watching the new Syfy series "Happy!"? God, this is some twisted, sick, hilarious ****, I'm only two episodes in and it's amazing, but I'm shocked at what they're getting away with. It's based on a graphic novel, but this is some full on Jhonen Vasquez/Mark Millar/Warren Ellis level stuff as far as how profane, hyperviolent and cynical it is. It's a ****ed up surrealist nightmare, and if you have a deranged sense of humor, watch it, seriously.

It doesnt ring a bell, but it sounds like Utopia, did you ever see that?

edit: oh now i know what your talking about its that new show with Det. Un-Stabler

 

[agentblack]

Oh boy.

Made me imagine for a minute what if was real
Like there goes normal life , i was looking forward to some movies this year
summer, etc

 

[Ceremony]

We ended the last Avalounge thread simply because it hit 1000.
Time to lock this one up, too...

I was wondering the same thing.

 

[McMetal]

It doesnt ring a bell, but it sounds like Utopia, did you ever see that?

edit: oh now i know what your talking about its that new show with Det. Un-Stabler

Yes, he is decidedly un-stable.

 

[5280]

I tore my damned Achilles’ tendon in Pinedale, ended up holing up in Jackson for a week

 

[Bonzai12]

I do miss Wind River Brewing up there. That place was legit when I'd go.


About that Hawaii thing - I'm not buying that it was a "mistake"....

 

[UncleRisto]

About that Hawaii thing - I'm not buying that it was a "mistake"....

So what was it then?

 

[Tweaky]

Maybe you would if they did to moose what they do to elephants to achieve that.

Depends on the place. Most are horrible, I will grant that. But some are pretty good.