Sounds inviting.
I second the stick idea, and expound on it. Make it a BIG stick. At least shoulder high, and head high is better. Tie a thong around it near the top and you can use it to loop around your wrist if you need to let loose the stick, and you can use it to hook or loop things from a distance when you hold the 'ground' end. On steep hills, you can reach down several feet with it and find support, then slide/jump down the staff to a landing & repeat. Tie a bell to it and as you walk you will scare off pretty much all the creatures you list. In the unlikely but possible event you are attacked, the staff is the weapon you think it is. Bear encounters during the day are pretty much you surprised them, but at night they may come into camp if they smell food. Cougars on the other hand will hunt you during the day and either wait in a tree or on a ledge over a trail to attack or follow and come up behind a hiker to attack. It is good practice to frquently stop and turn around on a trail, not only to look for danger but to see the trail as it looks when you return. That's a rap Sur.
