[pct-l] Bears and Stuff

[Robert W. Freed]

 I found California bears to be like
big rats. They come out at night and
  scavenge for food. Carry a whistle to
  scare them off, or roll over and go
  back to sleep.
  We carry bear canisters to save the
bears and the trees. Bears tear up the
trees to get at hanging food. The bears
used to be far worse, going through
every backpack looking for food. We
used to leave all of our pack pockets
unzipped so that the bears wouldn't
rip up the pack exploring for food. Now
bears that learn to harass campers for
food get rewarded with a bullet through
the heart.
  After hiking all the way to the High
Sierras you will be able to do fifteen
plus miles a day no problem. The hike
from Whitney Portal to one of the
resorts is a week or less. Three extra
pounds should be no issue for the svelte
hiker you will have become.
  Use baggies (not zip lock but with
twisty ties) and repack your food in
these. A weeks worth of food will fit
in a canister. You only need the
canister to store food in at night or
when you are away from your pack. It's
OK to carry that days lunch, snacks and
what not lose in other pockets. Also, I
found pita bread or some other yeast
free bread to be far more satisfying
than tortillas and it still packs well.
   
  Have we talked about the bears in the
Cascades yet?
   
  Robert
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