Many bears have figured out that the shelters along the AT inside the park can offer easy, delicious meals. Many backpackers ignore the posted signs warning against feeding bears. The creatures may appear cute and cuddly, but they are, of course, potentially dangerous wild animals. A wild animal is an unpredictable animal. Consequently, many feeding incidents turn nasty.
Bears learn to associate backpacks with food.
So they scare hikers into dropping their backpacks and then, with reckless abandon, go after the food inside. A bluff charge is their primary tactic for inducing fear. At this point it is hard to remember that the bear wants your food and not you. But it knows that you and your food must be separated. You must muster the courage to disregard the impulse to drop your pack and run nonstop to the car.