Dehydrated Food

Ok, here's a two-fer:
The relative merits of dehydration v/s bear buffet
When I was oh so much younger, I hitched into Yosemite Valley, headed into
the high country with ten days (I hoped) of dehydrated food.
I arrived after dark, when the usual bedtime bedlam was in full progress. On
foot, I looked for a more peaceful spot near the Vernal fall trail, ending
up in a closed campground nearby. Fired up my Svea (it was new then) and
flash fired a dose of Turkey Ala King, choked that mess down and crawled
into my bag.
I awakened some time later with Yogi sniffing at my toes...
Ok I knew better.
I washed the cookpot, hung up my bag, and crawled back in the sack...only to
hear Yogi still roaming the vicinity.
So I drag a table over under a street light and crash under it, hoping for a
little peace. Funny but I wasn't worried about the bear, just annoyed.
Next morning I gather up my stuff, and go after my food bag.
There it hung, ten feet off the ground, swaying limply in a light breeze.
Quite empty except for the last of the Turkey Ala King.
Breakfast. They left me breakfast, and the end of the trip.

I have this theory that the squirrels and bears work together. The bear
probably gives a smaller critter a boost up, and stands guard below. They
unload what they like and drag it off into the bushes to divide up the take!
I looked for bloated balls of fur with eyeballs, but never spotted any. Like
true campers, they did take their trash with them...
Moral:
Bear canisters aren't needed if you take nothing but dehydrated Turkey Ala
King. They'll check the menu and split without leaving a tip.
ya think??? ;-)


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