[pct-l] Food Bags --bears

Sat Mar 26 19:21:13 CDT 2011

Paul,

I apologize. I really thought you were adding to the humor on the list. But
when you responded this way, I did a bit of web searching and the general
consensus is that bears do actually plug their digestive tract to prevent
defecation of their den while they are hibernating. However, it would seem
from the literature, that the plug is created from within through the
digestive process. The bears eat twigs and the like and the digestive
process uses this material to create an anal plug that serves the desired
purpose. But it isn't "stuffed in" from the outside. At least that is what I
discovered before it was ruining my appetite. I couldn't find any reference
to the plug ejecting itself early thereby creating the need for the bear to
awaken and go foraging for food. 

It was fascinating to read all the other details of how bears hibernate and
the research being done to discover the mechanism they use to maintain their
body temperature and muscle mass despite sleeping for ~ 7 months . The
researchers are exploring how to apply these mechanisms to humans either for
prolonging life or for "protecting" humans during long space explorations.

Peanut Eater

From: Paul Robison [mailto:paulrobisonhome at yahoo.com] 
Sent: Saturday, March 26, 2011 3:06 PM
To: Peter Shaw; dnielsen at djmurphycompany.com; Gerry Zamora; CHUCK CHELIN
Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Food Bags --bears

i'm so glad i took time to make a serious post about bear behaviors and WHEN
and WHY they are dangerous,

only to get a bunch of  "butt plug  heh heh " responses.

BTW,  if sierra bears don't hibernate,  they make have not adapted this
behavior like sub-arctic bears have.

~Paul

  _____  

From: Peter Shaw <pshaw999 at cox.net>
To: dnielsen at djmurphycompany.com; Gerry Zamora <gerry0625 at gmail.com>; CHUCK
CHELIN <steeleye at wildblue.net>
Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net
Sent: Sat, March 26, 2011 6:01:27 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Food Bags --bears

It's not April 1st already is it?

-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
On Behalf Of dnielsen at djmurphycompany.com
Sent: Saturday, March 26, 2011 2:40 PM
To: 'Gerry Zamora'; 'CHUCK CHELIN'
Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Food Bags --bears

I did not know that there was a bear butt plug.  

-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
On Behalf Of Gerry Zamora
Sent: Saturday, March 26, 2011 8:54 AM
To: CHUCK CHELIN
Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Food Bags --bears

So does any one carry a but plug for the bears?  :0/
Sorry first time I heard this explanation and the 12 year old came out in
me...  I would hate to be the vet trying to replace that plug....  the
things we do to hike with nature.
Gerry0625
On Mar 26, 2011 6:23 AM, "CHUCK CHELIN" <steeleye at wildblue.net> wrote:
> Good morning, Paul,
>
>
>
> I don't think most of the Sierra bears hibernate in PCT areas, if at all.
My
> understanding is they sort of migrate up-country in the spring and early
> summer following the snowline.
>
>
> There are usually two good wildlife experts at the Kick-Off with
> presentations: In past years one has been a cougar expert from Univ.
> Cal.-Davis, and the other is either a Forest Service or National Park
> employee - I don't remember which - who is a bear expert. That bear-lady
is
> the one to ask if you attend the Kick-Off.
>
> Steel-Eye
>
> Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT - 1965
>
> http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye
>
> http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09
>
>
>
>>
>> > Steel-Eye
>> >
>> > Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT - 1965
>> >
>> > http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye
>> > http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09
>> >
>> > On Fri, Mar 25, 2011 at 3:06 PM, Gerry Zamora <gerry0625 at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> >
>> >> So if not in a area with bears is it relatively safe to just leave
your
>> >> food in your pack and leave your pack in your tent? Sounds like a few
>> >> people use this method with out any issues while out of bear country
of
>> >> course.
>> >> Gerry0625
>> >> On Mar 25, 2011 1:50 PM, "Ate Tuna" <atetuna at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >>> I have had a mouse not only try to get into my food in that exact
>> >> situation,
>> >>> but had it succeed even though I shooed it away multiple times during
>> the
>> >>> night...and I thought the rain and high winds that night would surely
>> >> blow
>> >>> that critter off the side of the mountain. I was wrong.
>> >>>
>> >>> Now I use a regular Ursack all the time. An Ursack was good enough to
>> >>> protect my food when I left it on Apache Peak when I left the trail
for
>> a
>> >>> week to attend kickoff. I haven't use an Opsak, but I agree with
those
>> >> that
>> >>> think I should.
>> >>>
>> >>> On Fri, Mar 25, 2011 at 8:02 AM, CHUCK CHELIN <steeleye at wildblue.net>
>> >> wrote:
>> >>>
>> >>>> I've never had lil' critters try to get into my food when it's lying
>> on
>> >> the
>> >>>> ground at the head of my bed -- and that's while sleeping under the
>> >> stars.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> On Thu, Mar 24, 2011 at 9:29 PM, <dnielsen at djmurphycompany.com>
>> wrote:
>> >>>>
>> >>>>> Just curious what people are using for food bags to keep the
critters
>> >>>> out,
>> >>>>> other than at bear vault areas. Ursack, wire mesh bag, just hang it
>> >> etc.
>> >>>>> ???
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> _______________________________________________
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