[pct-l] bears and canisters

[ambery-80243 at mypacks.net]

I think the biggest misconception about hanging our food, using a canister, or eating away from our tent is that we are "protecting our food".  This isn't about you and I going hungry. The idea is to keep bears from associating us, our backpacks or our camp as a SOURCE of food.  If a bear finds a beneficial source like your pack, it will then associate packs with food, and habituation begins if it gets lucky with the next packs that come along.
And more important to me than saving a bear's life who becomes habituated, is that sloppy camps and practices can potentially endanger the lives of my fellow hikers.