We love a good acronym here at the Glacier Institute. Garrett and Anthony share the way we start each of our guided hikes, private tours, camps, and courses in Glacier National Park: teaching SPRAY.
Here at the Glacier Institute we like to use the SPRAY acronym when discussing bear safety. S simply stands for stand your ground. The last thing you want to do in faced with a bear is turn and run. P is prepare your group get everybody together in one organized fashion so the bear only has one thing to focus on. R stands for ready your bear spray. You want to remove your bear spray from the holster keep the safety intact. A is act human. The best bear deterrent is actually just the human voice, talk calmly to the bear. And lastly Y is yield to the bear. Sometimes the bear simply wants to stay on the trail just like you and I, simply give it space.