[pct-l] Fwd: Re: Food in tents

[Mary Kwart]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mary Kwart" 
To: "Edward Anderson" 
Sent: Fri, 08 Feb 2013 11:33:33 -0800
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Food in tents
 Mendorider:

Yes--I believe that using bear canisters are required in the area you
mentioned now, isn't it? That's what I said--don't hang your food in
an area where bear canisters are required. I also suggested using the
Ursack/Opsack in areas where canisters aren't required. 

I, too, have also seen mother bears send their cubs up after food that
is hung with the counterbalance method on flimsy branches in the
Sierra before bear canisters were required. And before the
counterbalance method, bears knew that ropes attached to the trees
could be messed with to bring down the food bag. My job in 1985 was
backpacking to lightning fires in Yosemite and camping out, taking
measurements of fire behavior, so we saw our share of bears. I also
worked there on lightning fires in 1998-2000 and led beginning
backpack trips on the Muir Trail from Tuolumne Meadows--bear central.
Thank God the NPS made canisters a requirement by then.

The reason I tell people to consider hanging their food outside of
known repetitive problem areas is I have not seen that level of
understanding in any bear population except those in the high problem
areas in the Sierra--not in the north Cascades, the Colorado Rockies,
the Kenai and the Interior of Alaska, the Trinities in Northern
California, northern Arizona. I have no experience hiking on the
AT--so can't speak to that or other places I have not been.

The URsack/Opsack is a viable alternative--perhaps using one of those
AND hanging it would be the best solution I have been thinking of
buying one, although I rarely hang my food outside of required bear
canister areas.

--Fireweed

----- Original Message -----
From: "Edward Anderson" 
To:"Mary Kwart" , "pct-l at backcountry.net" 
Cc:
Sent:Thu, 07 Feb 2013 17:37:11 -0800 (PST)
Subject:Re: [pct-l] Food in tents

Hello Mary, While I greatly respect you and all your experience, I
have to disagree with you on your advice to hang a food bag. I used
to do that in bear country in the Sierra. The incident that I will
describe happened about 30 years ago, when bears in the Sierra were a
real problem Having been trained by Rangers that human food is good
(Park Rangers used to feed the bears garbage so the park visitors
could watch!), they followed hikers to places close to timberline,
knowing that there would be food. Here is the incident that I want to
describe:  I had taken my son and three of his friends on a
fishing-backpack trip starting at Roads End in Sequoia. We hiked up
Bubbs Creek to the JMT and then went south over Forester Pass to fish
the lakes in the upper Kern. Since bears were known to be a problem, I
decided to make our first camp high along Bubbs Creek at a place
where others had not camped - a place where bears, I thought, were
less likely to be. I did a good job of hanging our food bag at least
15 feet above the ground and had the rope over a small horizontal
branch about seven or eight feet from the tree trunk. The last thing I
saw before falling asleep was the food bag silhouetted against the
star-studded night sky. Something awakened me during the night. When I
looked up the food bag was gone. As I scrambled to exit my bag the
bears left. They had gotten about a third of our food - and that's a
lot when you have three hungry boys along. We were to eat lots of
trout. Fortunately the fishing was great. When we returned to Roads
End I reported it to the Ranger. He told me that there was a mother
bear and her cub(s) who were working Bubbs Creek. She had apparently
taught the cub to climb the trees and then go out on the limbs to
release the food bags. Bears are REALLY smart.  I no longer hang
food. In riding the PCT through N. California, Oregon, and Washington
I saw a lot of hanging bags. I suppose that must work for most
hikers. I just used OPSaks and my bear charms. To be extra cautious, I
also camouflaged the OPSaks - since they are transparent, while I
realize that bears have poor eyesight, if they just happen to SEE the
food inside, they would tear open the sack. I brought two Garcias
during my ride through the Sierra between Horseshoe Meadows and Sierra
City. In them I stored my food and the processed horse feed. I carried
them in knapsacks that took the place of the jumbo pommel bags that I
used on all the rest of the PCT. And they held a greater volume of
food. Regarding Ursacks - realize that they do not contain food
smells. They are not odor-proof. While bears can't get the food
inside, they might be attracted to the smell and your camp
location. The same is true of bear canisters. That's why you are
required to place them so far away from where you sleep. I have tested
various food packaging, double Ziploks, and OPSaks in my
rodent-infested barn in Agua Dulce. They have never gotten into an
OPSak. They walk all around them and even over them. If they were as
intelligent as bears they would get in. MendoRider-Hiker      FROM:
Mary Kwart 
TO: pct-l at backcountry.net; douglastow at gmail.com 
SENT: Thursday, February 7, 2013 12:48 PM
SUBJECT: [pct-l] Food in tents

 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

_______________________________________________
Pct-L mailing list
Pct-L at backcountry.net [1]
To unsubcribe, or change options visit:
http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l

List Archives:
http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
All content is copyrighted by the respective authors. 
Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.

     

Links:
------
[1] mailto:Pct-L at backcountry.net