[pct-l] Bear 'Can Usage

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good evening,

I have difficulty understanding how someone on this List – a List with lots
of new and inexperienced hikers -- can brag about, and tacitly advocate,
violating both the law and the morality of wilderness hiking in regard to
securing food against bears.

The Park Ranger who gives bear talks at the KickOff has a long, sad story
which I sort-of remember.  When new to the Park she left a piece of cake
out at her campsite and a sow bear that was new to the area found and ate
it.  Hence, that sow and her two cubs became a problem in the campsites.  The
sow was subsequently shot, but one or both of the cubs escaped to continue
their camper-robbing.  They were also eventually shot but not before their
cubs -- a third generation -- had also become habituated to people-food so
they, too, had to be shot.  I don’t remember the exact body count of dead
bears as a result of this, but it was maybe 6 or 7.

Another problem should strike much closer to home:  Hikers not using a bear
‘can as required in the SIBBG area are subject to being fined and ejected
from the trail.  Is the threat of a fine and the disruption of a complete
thru-hike worth the savings of about 2.5-3 pounds of weight in the control
area?

Steel-Eye

-Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye
http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09/