[pct-l] Bear Canisters

[Craig Stanton]

What, never? Ever?

What if rangers were given the power to shoot you on sight, would you  
consider it then? What abut if they could confiscate any food not in  
a canister?

Or what about a *slightly* more likely possibility. You're camping  
somewhere in the sierras next to to a nice young lady in an identical  
tent. You both cooked dinner miles and miles away, she then packed  
her stuff into a canister and you did not. That night a bear smells  
the food under your head, tears in through your tent, swipes the food  
and gets stuck in. "Mmmmm" he thinks "these nylon pods are chewy on  
the inside, I love them, hey look there's another". He then tears  
into tent number two, the nice young lady comes face to paw with a  
400 lb beast high on your sugary delights and with one quick swipe he  
removes her ear, and eye, and enough of her nose to stop her ever  
smelling anyones food again.


Are you really saying that after this, after your food brings a bear  
into a camp where other people are doing there best to prevent it and  
the consequences you are so quickly throwing aside come down on the  
innocents, even then you wouldn't carry a canister?

~Craig




> stillroaming <pct at delnorteresort.com> wrote:
>   Personally, I will never, ever carry a canister, regardless of  
> consequences.
> That is my choice. What you or others do is entirely your choice.  
> Whatever
> that choice is, you will hear no objections from me. I defend and  
> support
> your right to make that choice. If you don't have that trait within  
> you to
> defend your food, I urge you to carry a canister.
>
> Pacific Northwest Bears vs Sierra Bears. That's all I have to say  
> about
> canister policy.
>
> Several days ago you (Tom Reynolds) said:
> "I do not thruhike, would never thruhike, think that the PCT, aside  
> from the
> Sierra, is a boring dusty rut or a confining green tunnel and think  
> that
> thruhikers have a screw loose."
>
> Given your regard for the PCT and those who would spend months  
> hiking it I
> fear what other plans you may attempt to impose on those of us who  
> don't
> dance to your tune.
>
> Be it the aftermath of the ADZ or your over-valued opinion of bear
> canisters, much to your dismay folks will act and think for  
> themselves.
>
> Scott Parks
>
>
>>>>>
> The thruhiking community doesn't understand the bear problem.
>
> Neither I nor the Rangers are protecting you (thruhikers) from  
> yourself.
> Both I and the Rangers are protecting me. The Rangers are  
> protecting the
> bears also.
>
> It's very simple. You sleep with your food you are training the  
> bears to
> crash tents for food. The tent they crash might be mine.
>
> Four years ago more than 75% of thruhikers on this list were not  
> planning
> to use a bear canister. Also, there were several reports (on this  
> list) of
> thrukikers advocating to weekenders that they discontinue the use  
> of bear
> canisters. There were also several incidents with thruhikers. One  
> thruhiker
> called me personally for help getting a canister after a bear  
> stalked her
> tent all night! True, thruhikers are not the primary problem but  
> they start
> the problem with their early season training of bears.
>
> I see the number of thruhikers not planning on using canisters is
> considerably less this year. Of course, four years ago there were
> considerably less instances of bears crashing tents, snatching for  
> bags used
> for pillows, etc than there are today. That's bad but it did wake  
> up the
> authorities to the problem. Also, as of four years ago the regulations
> weren't as tight as they are now. That's very good! Further, treating
> thruhikers as a special group seems to have largely gone away.  
> Excellent!!
>
> So, stop thinking that the bear canister regulations are unwise It's
> either the regs or kill all bears in the Sierra. (Why not more bear  
> boxes?
> The Rangers don't have the manpower to clean them. Do you know how  
> much corn
> pasta is left in them but the time thruhiking season is over?)
>
> Tom
>
> PS: So Scott, the ADZ I did for thruhikers but the enforcement of
> canisters I did for me and for the Sierra weekenders. Don't equate  
> the two.
> The only common thread in the two is the ability I have to make  
> something
> happen.
> <<<<
>
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