[pct-l] Bears and Food

[Sean Nordeen]

Here is my take on protecting your food from bears:

First of all, I will never sleep on/with my food in bear country.  This opinion was first formed when a Boy Scout in the late 80's had a bear come through his tent and was mauled on his head because the "boy" thought it was a good idea to have a midnight snack.  So he took a snickers bar into his sleeping bag when he went to bed.  The bear smelled it and bit where he thought the smell was coming from.  This happened in the San Bernardino Mountains which are not known for overly agressive bears.  In fact, most people will never see a bear in these mountains unlike in the Sierras were most people will see a bear.  So I've been biased for years on this issue.  I wasn't even aware that people questioned this logic.  My opinion has only been reinforced by other news stories over the years of other attacks in the backcountry of the Sierras (I ignore the campground issues as they are far too numerous to be worth mentioning).

Do people hike the JMT/PCT and sleep with their food yes.  And I have read trail journal entries where it mentioned food being dragged out from under the head of those who slept on it.  So most get away with it but some don't.  The risk you run is being injured and possibily having to give up your hike or even worse.  And I don't understand how carrying 1 ounce of string to hang your food is going to be noticable by a ultralight backapcker.  Hanging your food seems to be the least you can do.  It seems worth it to me to avoid possible injury.

Now onto other storage methods.  I've been backpacking in the Sierras for over 20 years.  I have never lost my food even once.  I rarely see any of the bear boxes in the backcountry and it seems like there are less today then there use to be.  The methods I mostly used were hanging with a few personal twists added or by burying under a pyrmaid of heavy rocks.  These worked for me for the 10 years before canisters (though I did have to use my throwing rock pile once).  However, I was never egotistical to think that I will never lose my food.  I knew a guy who thought that because he had never lost his food in 25 years and was very vocal about how he never would.  But then he did and was extremely embarrassed, hungry, and humbled by the cunning of the Sierra Bear.

When canisters came along, I wasn't happy with the weight, but those were the rules.  I wanted to camp where I wanted to camp so I could explore an area, both on and off trail, and to get a permit I had to have one.  I certainly wasn't going to avoid a beautiful area over a little more weight.  And I have to admit, I have come to like not having to worry about my food.  I like not having to sleep lightly with the constant worry "is that a bear I hear?".  I can now sleep soundly in the backcountry without a care in the world.  I only use the bear cans in the Sierras, but that is because I rarely see bears outside of the Sierras (I've never not seen a bear in the Sierras).  When I'm outside the Sierras, I fall back to hanging (though I may eventually try an Ursack for this).

Yes there are things you can do to minimize your chances in encountering a bear at night, but you can't eliminate the possibility completely.  You have to consider the risks you run with improper food storage (including the risk to the bears life if they have to shoot it).  Just because you haven't had any trouble for 20 years, doesn't mean you never will.

Consider how remote the Southern Sierras are.  They contain some of the most remote wilderness in the lower 48.  You can be days away from medical help and resupply.  Is that a risk worth running over 1.5-2.5 pounds of a bear can for a 3-4 week window of your hike?  Does the fact that most PCTers not being checked for one make the risk of a fine worth it (and yes, some PCTers have been fined in the past)?  Is even the slightest risk of a bear attack worth the convienance of sleeping on your food when it could end your hike and possibily require hospitalization?  Only you can know your tolerance for these things.

However, when I encounter people in the Sierras who have lost their food to bears due to not following the rules, while I do feal sorry for them, I feel even worse for the bears.  So if they are within a day of the trailhead, I am not as free with sharing my food as I would be further away.  I can't help but think a little hunger might be good for them.  It's not that I want to be mean as I do feel pity for them and I don't like seeing people suffer.  But the thought of reading how the rangers had to shoot yet another problem bear is usually at the forefront of my mind.  So yes, I have been brainwashed by the man to believe: "a Fed Bear is a Dead Bear".  The rangers have done their job well.

This summer I will either be on the PCT or at least the JMT.  And I will have the large bearikade expedition can (probably rented).  It carries a lot more then my Garcia Can and weights about the same.

This is just my 25 cents worth (my thoughts are worth more then a lousy 2 cents.  The electricity cost alone cost me more then that to type this overly long essay).

-Sean