[pct-l] Fw: Re: rodents and resupply/A solution that works

[Edward Anderson]

--- On Thu, 4/22/10, Edward Anderson <mendoridered at yahoo.com> wrote:

> From: Edward Anderson <mendoridered at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] rodents and resupply/A solution that works
> To: "David Ellzey" <david at xpletive.com>
> Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Date: Thursday, April 22, 2010, 4:39 PM
> Hi David,
> The important lesson that I learned from my Beldon Town
> experience - and the info that I want to communicate to my
> hiker-friends is that while the dang rodents can smell food
> through even the fairly thick plastic and airtight seal of
> Food-Saver bags (and this is also true of ZipLock freezer
> bags), they absolutely CANNOT DETECT FOOD in an OPSAK. They
> must have walked all over the OPSAK bag containing my food
> in breaking into the ten Food-Saver bags containing the
> horse food. They got ALL the horse food but did not get my
> food. The effectiveness of that product is something that
> every PCT hiker should be aware of.
> MendoRider
> 
> 
> 
> 
> --- On Thu, 4/22/10, David Ellzey <david at xpletive.com>
> wrote:
> 
> > From: David Ellzey <david at xpletive.com>
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] rodents and resupply
> > To: "Pacific Crest Trail List" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Date: Thursday, April 22, 2010, 4:58 AM
> > My daughter works at a pack station
> > each summer and has told stories about how they will
> open
> > the seal on a 50gal barrel of oats and as they are
> scooping
> > the oats out into bags the local picas will make a
> massive
> > "storm the beaches" charge. The little rodents will
> run
> > right up the body of a packer to attempt a jump into
> the
> > barrel. Occasionally one will get through their
> substantial
> > defenses and make it into the oats only to burrow
> quickly
> > beyond reach. Usually that berserker pica is found the
> next
> > day laying on top the oats, so bloated with food that
> it
> > can't even climb out. 
> > 
> > Never underestimate the tenacity of rodents when it
> comes
> > to food.
> > 
> > BigToe
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net
> > [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
> > On Behalf Of Marion Davison
> > Sent: Wednesday, April 21, 2010 9:41 PM
> > To: Pacific Crest Trail List
> > Subject: [pct-l] rodents and resupply
> > 
> > 
> > Mendorider wrote:
> > A ranger who was there at Beldon told me that this was
> the
> > work of 
> > RODENTS. This was the second time that I learned that
> > rodents are not 
> > repelled by moth ball smell.
> > 
> > We had a similar rodent experience.  We parked our
> van
> > and stock trailer 
> > at Horseshoe Lake (Mammoth) and left it there for a
> month
> > while we did 
> > three loops.  We returned to it twice for
> > resupply.  We had lots of 
> > people food and llama feed stored in the van for the
> second
> > and third 
> > loops.  While we were out on the first loop a bunch
> of
> > mice moved into 
> > the van and made a thorough mess of the food and the
> > feed--tearing into 
> > bags, eating and pooping everywhere.  We secured
> what
> > was left (for the 
> > third loop) in coolers before leaving.  We took a
> road
> > trip in the van 
> > after the llama trek (to hike Eagle Creek in OR) and
> had
> > mice living 
> > with us.  We had to set traps at night to catch
> > them.  We trapped one 
> > every night for a week.  We found five mouse nests
> > concealed in the 
> > vehicle, and removed one mouse carcass from the
> heater
> > fan.  Ewwww.  It 
> > is known forever after as "the summer of the mice". 
> > It was hard to 
> > sleep knowing they were running around the bed.  We
> > learned from that 
> > and now we always store resupply in coolers or 5
> gallon
> > buckets.
> > 
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