[pct-l] Food in tents

[Mary Kwart]

Chris said:

"Okay on a serious note for once on my part...all jokes aside...
 I'm seriously scared to death of the dark and the fact that there are
animals that could rock my world...I hear a lot about protecting the
bears but anyone have a fool proof way of not having bear
encounters...so i got get messed with...i havent really been camping
so where do i hide...how much smell is too much...i heard some people
bring firecrackers? Really??
 .I believe I have a decent chance on completing the trail but my
night fears go pretty deep lol :)
 Just being honest...
 And as for parts of the trail...are there any real scary sections and
somewhere/one has/have good pictures...like with narrow walk ways and
steep drops .for example the narrows in Colorado??..I need to start
visualizing these things...or just start unpacking my pack and go look
for a job
 Thanks!!"

Chris:

Sorry about your fears--the best thing is to just get out there and
see. I only learned about the sounds animals make by actually
backpacking. When I was just starting out at age 19, I was freaked
out. By the time I was in my 20's, that had gone.

You need to go with a partner--that would significantly help your
fears. The best would be someone with more experience. If you hike on
the PCT there will be a lot of people around you can hook up with and
talk to.

You sound like you may have anxiety over the mountain passes. Do one
before you have to hike on the PCT and see how you feel. Take Mountain
Ned's snow skills training (www.mountaineducation.org). One thing I
learned is that a pass often looks a lot steeper from far away than up
close--where you just concentrate on one footstep at a time.

Potential places you might want to look at are in the Goat Rocks
Wilderness in Washington state on the knife edge trail and above
Snoqualmie on the Catwalk--I have no fear of heights so they didn't
bother me, but I have heard that these have bothered some people. 

--Fireweed

----- Original Message -----
From: "C" 
To:"Mary Kwart" 
Cc:"pct-l at backcountry.net" , "douglastow at gmail.com" 
Sent:Thu, 07 Feb 2013 13:03:18 -0800
Subject:Re: [pct-l] Food in tents

 Okay on a serious note for once on my part...all jokes aside...
 I'm seriously scared to death of the dark and the fact that there are
animals that could rock my world...I hear a lot about protecting the
bears but anyone have a fool proof way of not having bear
encounters...so i got get messed with...i havent really been camping
so where do i hide...how much smell is too much...i heard some people
bring firecrackers? Really??
 .I believe I have a decent chance on completing the trail but my
night fears go pretty deep lol :)
 Just being honest...
 And as for parts of the trail...are there any real scary sections and
somewhere/one has/have good pictures...like with narrow walk ways and
steep drops .for example the narrows in Colorado??..I need to start
visualizing these things...or just start unpacking my pack and go look
for a job
 Thanks!!!

 Sent from my iPhone

 On Feb 7, 2013, at 12:48 PM, "Mary Kwart"  wrote:

 > This is a controversial topic so what I tell the people in a
 > backpacking strategies for success class is:
 > 
 > 1. Always carry food in a bear canister in the places it is
 > required--there is a good reason. I have worked for the Park
Service
 > at Yosemite and regale people with stories of how smart and
 > resourceful the bears are in the Sierra. By the way, bears there
know
 > people use canisters and have learned diversion tactics to get to
food
 > before it is in the canister at night--like when you are preparing
 > dinner. I have experienced bears batting around my bear canister at
 > night, but that has only been in popular campsites when camping
with a
 > group. Using bear canisters in these areas saves bears lives.
 > 
 > 2. When in doubt, in places other than where you have to carry a
bear
 > canister by law, carry a lightweight rope to hang your food and
hang
 > it as often as you feel you must--That may be every night. Be aware
of
 > indications of bear activity--bear scat, bear paw prints and talk
to
 > others on the trail to get information and let that and common
sense
 > guide you. When camping near a popular area like by a lake a short
 > distance from a trailhead, take extra precautions or camp miles
away
 > from these areas. If you are caching food for any length of time or
 > leaving your camp for a day hike, it also makes sense to hang your
 > food or use an Ursack.
 > 
 > 3. The longer you hike in the areas where bear canisters are not
 > required by law, the more your decision to protect your food from
 > critters will be informed by your experience, hence the need to
hang
 > your food will diminish because you have learned to be more aware
of
 > bear indicators. That is why people with a lot of hiking experience
 > keep their food in their tents at night with no problem for
 > years.Until you reach that level of knowledge, by all means hang
your
 > food, or use an Ursack.
 > 
 > It is hard to convince new hikers that in 99% of all long distance
 > hiking areas, the animals have better things to do than target you
and
 > the small amount of food you carry. Once again, I impress on people
 > the need to carry bear canisters where required by law and to hang
 > their food if they have the least bit of anxiety. or will be
leaving
 > their food unattended. 
 > 
 > --Fireweed
 > 
 > 
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