[pct-l] When will I need a Bear canister

[Stephen Clark]

John,

I agree that having one from Sonora Pass to Kennedy Meadows is advisable,
however they are only *required* SOBO from about Lake Mary to McGee Pass,
also south of Marjory Lake, about 4 miles, through Yosemite to 6 or 7 miles
north of Shepard Pass Trail and again in the Mt Whitney area from about 5
+/- miles north of Hitchcock Lakes to a bit south of Cottonwood Pass Trail.

I know it's a pain to carry one for a long time but, even though these are
the only areas where canisters are 'required,' I  always use one from just
north of Lake Tahoe to Kennedy Meadows... because you just never know.

I have seen a mother black bear send her cubs up a tree (where food bags
are hung) after having taught them to jump out to the bag and ride it to
the ground. They just kind of bounce and end up getting a good meal, and
you... you are left in the middle of nowhere with nothing.

I have shared with more than one hiker that lost their food this way.

Snake Charmer


On Wed, Dec 25, 2013 at 8:24 PM, <tsparks56 at aol.com> wrote:

>
>
>
>  John,
> Going SOBO, you will need a bear canister starting at PCT mile 1018.5
> (Sonora Pass, CA State Route 108) to PCT mile 702 (Kennedy Meadows).
>
> Terry
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Herrin <johndavidherrin at gmail.com>
> To: pct-l <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> Sent: Wed, Dec 25, 2013 7:54 pm
> Subject: [pct-l] When will I need a Bear canister
>
>
> My wife and I are heading SOBO on the PCT next summer. We will be section
> hiking from around Ashland OR down through the Sierras to Kennedy Meadows
> (approx 1025 mi). At what point will we be required to carry a bear
> canister. A couple of summers ago we backpacked the JMT and carried one,
> actually two, pretty much the entire way.
>
> So I am thinking once we get to Yosemite for sure but I am needing to
> figure out when and where exactly so I can order a rental Bearikade
> (expedition).
>
> Thanks and we love reading this forum. It has convinced us to switch over
> to lightweight backpacking and this trip will be our first. Goodbye 45 to
> 50 lbs packs and hello happy hiking.
>
> John Herrin
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