Heading to solemn bear country? Attacks are occasional, but it’s better to be prepared

I have had many bear encounters over the years. Some of these were close-contact encounters where you connect with an animal on a trail or on the shoreline. Fortunately, most of them were seen from a distance while kayaking, portaging, or hiking the trail.
Whenever I approached a bear, I was always ready with my hand on the trigger of a can of bear spray. I never had to pull the trigger, but there were some close calls.