[pct-l] BEAR AVOIDANCE:.....Cans, counter balance & stealth

[Reinhold Metzger]

Gary  &  George,
I also have done lot of hiking in the Sierra and agree, bears are a 
constant battle in the Sierra.
However, the problem is not so much the hanging, but how it is hung.
Very few hikers use proper counterbalance technique.
If properly counter balanced over a proper branch it can be very 
effective...the key word is ''proper branch & technique.''
I know determined bears have been known to chew off a branch if it can't 
be broken....it's not 100%, but neither are canisters.
Bears have been known to walk of with canisters or pop the lids on 
some....like with branches, proper selection is the key.
Although I have two bear canisters now, I have lost food only once in 25 
years of hanging in the Sierra.
Not a bad record....no?

As far as the comment......''If you go stealthy, you are just plain 
lucky if you don't get raided''
If you are referring to getting raided by ''SWITCHBACK'',  I 
agree...nothing will protect you from that marauding scoundrel. But, if 
you are referring to bears, I'm not so sure.
When I go stealth on my JMT fast packs I sleep with my food.
However, I will camp as far as possible from established camp sites, eat 
on the trail an hour or so before I stop for the night and not eat or 
use my flash light in my camp site so as not to advertise my presence.
Many stealth hikers, including I have used this technique successfully 
over the years.
I  ''do not'', however , recommended stealth hiking to the ordinary 
hiker...do the right thing....take the can.

As far as the comment.....''The bears will not try to take your food 
when in your possession''
I wonder what the Scout would say, who woke up, a few years ago in the 
San Bernardino Mountains when a bear was pulling him out of his tent by 
his legs, because he had some candy bars in his possession?
I wonder what the Scout would say, who had his scalp chewed of in 
Philmont in 1988 because the bear correlated the hair  tonic odor with 
food odor.....the Scout survived but his whole scalp was chewed of.
I wonder what Aaron Sorenson would say, who woke up when a bear was 
pulling his pack from under his head, as he slept at the foot of Mather 
Pass, during his 2007 unsupported JMT record attempt?

Most of the time bears will not resort to that and will look for easier 
picking, but it all depends on the bear......how bold and  hungry he is.
Again, I emphasize    ''MOST  OF  THE  TIME''   but  ''NOT  ALL  OF  
THE  TIME''.

With this my friends I will, once again, say Adios....hope to see you 
all on the trail someday.
I know, I said Adios before and here I am again....but this time I will 
try to keep my word....I promise.

JMT Reinhold
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Gary wrote:.......Hang your food in the National Parks.....and you loose 
it.  Period.
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George wrote:
> Stephen and all,
>    I've done a lot of hiking in Sierra and I constantly battle with 
> the bears, especially in the Nat'l Parks.
> The bears prefer that you try the stealth technique. I recommend you 
> bite the bullet and spend the $200+ to buy the large Bear-i-kade. It's 
> much lighter than a Garcia and works better than the Bear Vault, it 
> holds all the food you could possibly want to carry, and it makes a 
> convenient stool to sit on. If you go stealthy, you are just plain 
> lucky if you don't get raided.
> ................By the way, here are some of the things I have learned 
> about the CA black (trash) bears.
> These bears are nothing like grizzlies, so are generally not a safety 
> concern - unless you get really stupid and get between mama and cubs. 
> They will not try to take your food from you if in your possession......