F.A.C.T. - Watch out - Bears!
Already after a few hours almost every hiker will encounter bear tracks on the Frolikha Adventure Coastline Track, be it prints in the sand, scratch marks on the trees or droppings. The north-east of Lake Baikal is one of the least developed areas. As there are only few humans, the "boss of the taiga", the Siberian brown bear (Ursus Arctos), feels comfortable. Nevertheless it is very unlikely to catch sight of it during a hiking tour, as it avoids the company of humans. As opposed to many adventure stories, humans are not on the menu of bears. It prefers fresh herbs like wild garlic, the moths of the caddis fly, fish and especially berries and the nuts of
the Siberian yellow pine.
If you encounter one unexpectedly, however, you should not run, but stand still. Usually, the bear toddles off . There are recommendations as well to maunder quietly or to turn around and slowly walk back the same way that you came. In any case it is very important not to react hectically or even in panic. The situation becomes more serious if you encounter a mother with its cub. In this case the same rules apply, even if you probably need a bit more luck to get away with it.
We also recommend not to leave food with an intense smell in the tent, but to store it well packaged a bit aside. The recommendation known from many parts of the world to store food bear-safe on trees is barely realisable, at least for groups, due to the lack of adequately strong trees in the region.
