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Published on September 01, 2026
My family and I just came back from a vacation in Manitoba, Canada, where I had my first visit to bear country. As we were making our way to our rental home, we got an email from our host alerting us to an "abundance of wildlife" in the area. Included in the message was a link that led me to a 20-page document on what to do when you encounter a bear.
This caught my attention, and I immediately informed my person that we needed to get bear spray. I was now expecting a furry beast around every corner.
We looked everywhere for spray before we headed to the cabin but came up empty. I was beginning to think that the information we were provided was a little unnecessary; surely, there wouldn't be bears out and about with people. We pulled into the rental, and there across the street was a black bear. Maybe we did need that deterrent after all!
If you'd like to prepare for an unexpected wilderness encounter, try these books.
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson
I kept thinking about Bryson's travel book of the Appalachian Trail and his fear of bears. He has a whole story about their love of candy bars. I learned a lot from this book: don't carry Snickers in bear country.
Incredible Bear Attacks: Terrifying Tales of Savage Encounters Between Bears and People
A book like this might have been what Bryson read before heading out on the trail across the mountains—and what alerted him to the whole ‘no Snickers’ rule.
Black Bears by Timothy Daly
This photographic essay is packed with facts, but my biggest takeaway was to be very careful where you leave your garbage because bears are always on the hunt for food. We ended up carrying ours all the way to Winnipeg (an hour-and-a-half drive), where we disposed of it before crossing the border.
Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
Until recently, Winnie the Pooh had been my only understanding of bears. Winnie, a silly old bear who sings about being a rain cloud. Also fitting that Winnie is named after the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin
This was my daughter's favorite book as a child. From my understanding, brown bears (Grizzly) are a bit more fierce than black bears, and if you see one, you are to fight back. I am no expert; this is simply what I read in my 20-page survival guide.
We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
I recited this poem in my head while we were out on our hike, carrying our whistles and making lots of noise to avoid any unnecessary wildlife encounters. Luckily, we survived and didn't get chased by a bear; in fact, this time, we didn't see one.