Just two short months after its initial launch, backcountry enthusiasts have bombarded trailex.org with more than 10,000 hits.

The site, designed to be used and perused by those heading into the Bow Valley backcountry, has been a big hit, said Heath McCroy, Wednesday

(Aug. 2).

“Right at the start, we were seeing 300 hits a day, so we thought it would grow fairly quickly. And so far, there’s been no negative reaction. We’ve had mostly positive input and feedback. I think even people who were sceptical have come around.”

The site was funded and created by McCroy and friends Jean McAllister, Maria Hawkins, Liz Baker, Jennifer Statham and Tom Wolfe. McCroy’s wife, Isabelle Dubé, was mauled by a grizzly bear and killed while cross-country running in June, 2005 and Trailex was created in response to the tragedy.

Users are able to post their own sightings on the site, after registering with Trailex, and anyone may view other postings related to bears, cougars, wildlife in general and trail and area closures.

Had similar information been available when Dubé went running with friends Hawkins and McAllister in 2005, McCroy has vowed, tragedy, in all likelihood, would have been avoided. A simple check of bear sightings would have caused his wife to choose another area in which to run.

“We’ve had no problems with bogus input or sightings,” he said. “Nobody, to my knowledge has been abusing the site at all. I think the site’s been good to help the community become more aware.

“I think people are now aware of how many bears and cougars are being sighted out there. Safety is a huge factor, but so is awareness. It helps tighten the network of the trail user community.”

Later this month, Discovery Channel is producing a documentary on bear/human conflict and Canmore, along with an Alaskan town, are to be featured. The U.S. broadcaster will interview McCroy and others about their experiences with bears; the program will air at an unspecified future date.

Soure: Dave Whitfield – Rocky Mountain Outlook