[pct-l] Bear 'Can Usage

[Sonya Dickinson]

I always carry a bear canister when required and when not required, I hang my food when/if I can find an appropriate tree to hang from.  I have slept with my food a few times - usually when it was dark and I was tired...poor excuses, I know.  I do understand that keeping your food away from bears protects the bears and I have seen what happens to them in Yosemite when they become accustomed to swiping food.  

Good reminders to suck it up and carry your canister or hang your food (when canisters are not required).

--- On Thu, 2/7/13, gary_schenk at verizon.net <gary_schenk at verizon.net> wrote:

From: gary_schenk at verizon.net <gary_schenk at verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Bear 'Can Usage
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Date: Thursday, February 7, 2013, 3:23 PM

 Thanks for posting that, Chuck.

The point of the bear can is not to protect your food from the bear. Nobody cares if you go hungry. The point of the bear can is to protect the bear from your food. And to protect other hikers from the bear that you just introduced to human food because you were too special (or weak) to carry a bear can.

In addition to the penalties Chuck mentions, they should also make violators personally shoot the bear. That is a part of the job rangers do NOT like.

Bear cans are working.The bear situation in the Sierra Nevada has improved this century because people are carrying cans. If you think the can is too heavy, maybe just leave the iPods, GPS, smart phones, solar chargers and batteries at home.

Gary
 

On 02/06/13, CHUCK CHELIN wrote:

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/
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