[pct-l] Bear Can Rule of Thumb

[Bob Bankhead]

Going north on the PCT, the requirement for bear cans starts at the Cottonwood Pass Trail junction and ends at the northern boundary of Yosemite National Park. That boundary is well north of Tuolumne Meadows, and you are very likely to be checked by rangers as you leave TM - north or southbound.

In-between, there are some lengthy stretches where canisters are not required. There are also stretches where they are required, and no bear boxes are available within the daily mileage limitations of about 99.5% of hikers.

Memo to file: BEARS CAN NOT READ MAPS. 

Just because a canister is not required by some local authority does not mean you can suddenly do without one and expect to keep your food. Use your common sense!

Unless you are re-supplying at Horseshoe Meadows, you'll need to pick up your bear canister at Kennedy Meadows (South). The earliest you could send it home would be Sonora Pass, but you'd have to detour down to the resort at Kennedy Meadow (North) to do that. Most folks will carry until South Lake Tahoe and ship it home from there. 

Wandering Bob