[pct-l] Sleeping with food

[Matthew Edwards]

I carried a Bear Can out of Kennedy meadows and ditched it at Echo Lake. The rest of the hike I put all my food into my inner Garbage compactor bag(used to keep gear dry in the Pack) and used my food as my pillow. 
Like others have stated, the point is to protect the bears. Having done most of my hiking in the Yosenite backcountry, I am used to carrying a bear can. The man habituated bears in Seki and Yosemite will absolutely walk right through your tent and take the food out from under your head. Interestingly I have only had one Mother Bear and her cub attack my bear can but that was over 10 years ago(I have the original Garcia Bear Can 4.5 LBS!)
I always set the can upright about 50 feet from where I sleep but nothing has touched it since!
Maybe I camp "cleaner" than I used to or maybe the bears are accepting the Can as impenetrable.
I will tell you one thing I don't miss; The old days of bear hanging food and being awakened at 1,2,3,4 and 5 am to the sound of claws om bark.
I think some of our "immunity" to bear problems as PCT hikers stems from Not camping in impacted areas,not cooking where we sleep,moving to a diffent site each night, and not camping next to lakes.
The most common thing I heard about as far a food being raided this year was done by rodents.
When is Ursack gonna come up with an Sbbig approved bag for us ultralighters?
Till then carry a Bear Resistant canister for Seki and Yosemite. You would not want to ruin a part of the very reason you are out there right?
A Fed Bear is a Dead Bear.
-Iceaxe 

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