Watching for bear in Alaska while hiking is important and having bear spray is, I presume, also something you ought to have. You cannot enter Canada with the spray, so it must be purchased in Alaska. It was not something needed or even allowed when we walked among the bears at Katmai National Park but walking trails you just did not want to startle a bear or end up between a cub and her mom. The closest we came on our trip to any issue was with this grizzly. He was feeding in a field about 75 yards from the edge of a gravel road. I stopped and got out of the truck, beside the truck I should say, and started to photograph. He was moving slightly closer, at about 50 yards I opened my door and moved where I could easily get back inside. He stopped shortly after, maybe 30 yards away, and stared at us for a couple of minutes but then went back to feeding. He then moved across the field and into some woods. I did have the bear spray out and accessible but, with the truck did not really need it.
