[pct-l] Where do you put it?

[Mike Welch]

I've been section hiking for the past 5 years beginning with the John Muir Trail.  I used a bear vault which is required.  Since Yosemite I've been using Opti Sacks of which I place them in my backpack after my meal, cover it with a raincover, put a rock or two on it and keep it outside my tent about 20 feet away.  I keep it near so if I hear it being disturbed I can start yelling while getting up to chase off whatever wildlife is attempting to get a free meal.  I also think having it close to you, without having it right in your tent, is a sign that this is yours and in your sphere of territory so that wildlife are more apt to stay away.  
However, on my last section hike in Northern California (of which I just got home about a month ago) I had a nerve racking experience with a medium sized black bear, probably male.  He came into my camp at dinner time (Squaw Valley Creek about 20 miles SE of Castle Crags State Park) and it took me some time to chase him off.  He left, then came back of which I had to become more aggressive in my actions to chase him off again.  The second time back he actually paced back and forth about 30 feet from me which is not a good sign.  He then came back a third time of which I began throwing rocks around him and waving a big stick I had found (Teddy Roosevelt is one of my heroes).  This last time he bolted pretty quickly. I cleaned the camp (which was part of the problem as I was camped just below a dirt road giving access to car campers) and took all food and anything else that smelled and put it in a pit toilet that was in a dirt turnout just above me.
  I had a fitful sleep and finally got up at 4:30 am and hiked out with my headlamp.  I made a statement last Winter, on this site, that being from Alaska I didn't fear the black bear, but had great respect for the brown bear.  I retract that statement.  I now have great respect for both and am rethinking how I'll handle food, eating and storage in the future.  The biggest problem was this was an urbanized bear.  He obviously didn't
 have a great fear of people and I'm sure had tasted human food.  These are problem bears.  I actually feel much safer when I'm deeper in the woods and away from roads.  I did call the nearest local rangers in that area to report this encounter.  I may use the mothball strategy or eat dinner before I get to where I'm going to camp in the future. (Strider where did you, Mohawk and Firewoman end up camping after we met?)
Mountain Mike  
  


________________________________
From: Sir Mixalot <atetuna at gmail.com>
To: Brenda And Jim Johnson <jdjohnson at accesscomm.ca>
Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net
Sent: Wednesday, October 12, 2011 12:41 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Where do you put it?

Food goes in an Ursack or bear canister.  Pack sits next to me in my tarp
tent.

On Tue, Oct 11, 2011 at 6:39 PM, Brenda And Jim Johnson <
jdjohnson at accesscomm.ca> wrote:

> Curious ... at the end of the day ... after the camp chores have been
> taken care of ...
> the journal's been updated ... what do thru-hikers and long section
> hikers do with the pack
> and the food just before "hiker midnight" arrives?
> Does everything stay outside the tent? Or inside with you? Hanging from
> a tree branch?
>
> On our 4 or 5-day hikes in the Canadian Rockies, and (lately) in Glacier
> National Park Montana,
> we take all food, scented items, and cooking gear out of our packs and
> place them in a waterproof food bag
> and haul it up a cable to hang from a bear pole. Our packs are placed
> outside the tents,
> wrapped under our pack covers. Usually there's 4 of us, in two Lunar Duo
> tents - so not a lot of room left for packs.
> We've done this for several years with no night-time visitors (that we
> know of).
>
> Just curious what is usually done with your pack, and your food, on a
> long hike.
>
> ~ jiffypop
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Park Montana,
> we take all food, scented items, and cooking gear out of our packs and
> place them in a waterproof food bag
> and haul it up a cable to hang from a bear pole. Our packs are placed
> outside the tents,
> wrapped under our pack covers. Usually there's 4 of us, in two Lunar Duo
> tents - so not a lot of room left for packs.
> We've done this for several years with no night-time visitors (that we
> know of).
>
> Just curious what is usually done with your pack, and your food, on a
> long hike.
>
> ~ jiffypop
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-L mailing list
> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> To unsubcribe, or change options visit:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>
> List Archives:
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> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> Reproduction is is prohibited without express permission.
>
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