[pct-l] Veggie food and mice

[Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com]

On Jul 2, 2010, at 7:47 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
> On Jul 1, 2010, at 11:25 AM, Blanchard, Sym (GT&D) wrote:
>>
>> I am mainly a vegetarian, carrying only dried beans, grains, whey
>> protein, vegetables, and fruit.  I soak them a few hours and then  
>> heat
>> them in the sun or against my body (thanks Scott Williamson!), so  
>> I use
>> no stove and therefore have no cooking odors.  I carry all the  
>> food in
> zip-locked first in sandwich bags and then again together in gallon  
> bags
>
> My next question (which I probably should have asked first) was:
>
> Outside of the "International PCT-L Peace Treaty Area" ( I love peace
> ... Thanks Austin!), is the idea of keeping my sealed veggie food  
> inside
> my bivy bag at night reasonably safe?  Or should I keep it in a
> critter-resistant bag hanging from a tree as is usually recommended.
>
> Thanks,
> Symbiosis

I always slept with my food. Never hung my food.

Mouse seemed interested in my food in the desert near Willow Springs  
Road. I shooed him away and went back to sleep. I was not camped in  
an established campground, but when I put my stuff away in the  
morning I noticed there was a lot of mouse poop around so I basically  
camped in a mouse house. (Prayed I wouldn't get Hanta virus after.)

Mouse got into my tent in Washington near Methow Pass. My tent zipper  
no longer zipped so that's how he got in. I shooed him away and the  
plugged up the hole with plastic bags and went back to sleep. I was  
camped in a lesser-used established camp spot, but maybe not an  
official one (no forest-service issue campfire pit or anything like  
that.)

In Lassen National Park in the campground near Drakesbad (a car  
campground that has bear boxes) I put my food in the bear box and  
left the door open while I propped my feet up on the inside ledge and  
read a book. Squirrels went inside the bear box and instantly bit  
holes in my food.

Moral of the story is that it's usually okay to sleep with your food  
but you have more problems if you sleep where the rodents are.




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