[pct-l] bear questions

[g l]

There are little critters that will nibble thru your tent to get food you didn't even realize was IN your tent.....yeah, personal experience.  My old tent now has a duct tape patch.  Duct tape rules!

All excellent questions Moondog!  I'll be interested in the answers as well, from those who know more about desert hiking than me.  (Ziltch).

Reminds me of my first night out from Neels Gap, GA.  Slept in the shelter with 2 hikers (AB positive and Dobbie Ma) that had thru'd the year before and were out for a few days.  In the middle of the night I heard some commotion....thinking it was a mouse I wasn't too worried, but the noise seemed too much for a mouse.  Looking over at AB I saw a SKUNK perched on his chest, sniffling his beard!  He said "Hey, there's a raccoon on my chest!"  I said, "Don't move!!!  It's no raccoon!  It's a skunk!  I then stood up in my sleeping bag, made myself as long and thin as possible and poured myself into a corner of the shelter.  This story has a happy ending.  The skunk did a lot of looking and sniffing and then left empty handed.  (Empty pawed?).  Then there's the night in a shelther that a mouse ran away with my spoon (a metal teaspoon).  Since I was a rookie at that point, I guess he knew I didn't need the extra weight.........but I digress!  

Hope to see you out there in '08

Gail aka Wheeew



David Stewart <davidalexanderstewart at gmail.com> wrote: Hello all, 
  
 I am a PCT rookie, planning a thru in '08. 
  
 I have Yogi's books and she recomends bear canisters/use the lockers, etc... my questions regarding "bear issues" are:
  
 1) although she officially recomends bear canisters, almost all hikers who contributed comments to the book were very relaxed about the whole issue saying that they slept with their food, used it as a pillow, etc... that seemed, well, strange to me. So, what do people do? Aren't there other little critters who will nibble through a stuff sack (mice and the like) to get your snickers?  
  
 2) Even if one does use a bear canister or bear locker, what good is that if you have it in your tent or sleep next to the locker? Doesn't Mr. or Mrs. Bear still come a-lookin? 
  
 3) Trees? Hanging food 300 meters from where you sleep, etc... what about that? That does not seem possible in the desert, or above tree line, but on the rest of the trail?
  
 I have these question because I am used to the AT and Long Trail, where trees are a-plenty. Forget bears for a moment, what about mice/possum/skunk/racoons, etc... i don't want to use my food as a pillow and then have racoons on my head. I guess the PCT changes so much...that I just need to roll with what happens and ask all of you questions along the way? 
  
 Thanks for reading, helping, being cool. 
  
 Hope Thanksgiving was good. 
  
 -dave "moondog" stewart
  
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