Friday, April 27, 2012

The Trouble with Pepper Spray...


My hiking partner thinks I should address some of our experiences with pepper spray.  The only problem is:  which experience should I talk about first?  Should I begin with the time I accidentally pepper sprayed an outhouse at the fairgrounds?  Or should I write about the time I saw Gail bailing out of my truck as we drove up Avalanche Gulch because her pepper spray discharged in the car?   Or should I write about the time pepper spray fired in my room as I loaded my backpack for an overnight hike?  Maybe I will relate a pepper spray story now and then.  It would take too long to tell ALL of the stories in one post.              

After experience with pepper spray, all I can say is I hope I never stumble on an animal I need to ward off with pepper spray.  For one thing, you can’t spray anything else without a microscopic particle of pepper spray landing on you too.  If the particle lands in your eye, plan on being in agony for the next hour and pray there is water nearby.  You might drive off the animal, but you are going to hurt….bad.
Also, a better safety for pepper spray would be a wonderful thing.  Accidents are awful!

2 comments:

  1. Maybe they should start issuing goggles and gas masks with all the pepper spray that is sold, as well as a better safety! Remember when the pepper spray was experimented with by a member of our family on your bedroom wall? Ugh!

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  2. I will never forget to hole in the sheetrock that Orville made as he tried to scrub the orange pepper spray off the wall. That was my first experience with the stuff.

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