[pct-l] Bears in the Cal Sierra -- What's Going On.

[reynolds@iLAN.com (Reynolds, WT)]

The bear canister initiatives are working, at least to an extent.

Inyo National Forest is by far the most agressive in enforcement of bear
canister rules. According to the Rangers that I talked to, the issue was
driven "bottom-up" by the Rangers who had too many food losses to bears,
injuries and near injuries as opposed to "top-down" by the powers-that-be.
The major problem areas along the PCT/JMT are Purple Lake, Shadow Lake
Campsites and Garnett\Thousand Island Lake. The major problem lateral is
Kearsarge Pass. These guys are serious. They will ask to SEE your canister
and will ticket you in a heartbeat.

Inyo reports bear incidents way down as a result of these regulations.

Commentary: The only way Inyo knows about bear incidents is if they are
reported. IMLTHO [In My Less Than Humble Opinion] a backpacker is much less
likely to either foolishly fight for his/her food, risking injury or report
a bear incident if ONLY EXCESS FOOD IS LOST. Having seen, firsthand the
practice of carrying SOME food in a canister [the basic necessities to
finish the hike] and SOME food outside, I remain unconvenced that bears are
being any less fed based on the new rules.

Advice to Thruhikers: Skip camping in this section. The canister zone south
of Red's Meadow can be easily traversed in one day.  My advice is to get on
the Tram to Mammoth Mountain Inn and enjoy a beer and dancing. Anyone who
skips this stop really can't talk about the GREAT TOWN STOPS on the PCT. The
only reason to skip Mammoth is because you are on a tight budget.

Upon returning, get off the tram at Agnew Meadow, take the PCT SOUTH [left
at the toilets] through Agnew Meadow, then turn North [right] on the River
Trail. Descend to the river, then make a left across the bridge on the
Shadow Lake Trail and ascend to Shadow Lake and the JMT. Take the JMT past
Garnett Lake to where it rejoins the PCT at Thousand Island Lake. Continue
past Island Pass, drop down and over Rush Creek and ascend to the southern
slope of Donahue Pass. Don't camp before this location. The Rangers
routinely work Shadow Lake, Thousand Island lake and the Rush Creek Valley.

Yosemite National Park requires bear canisters. In general a Ranger will ask
you if you have a canister but will not check your pack while on the trail.
At a campsite, however, is another matter. You will probably NOT escape a
ticket camped at a major campsite in Yosemite National Park.

Advice to Thruhikers: Skip camping at major campsites. Along the PCT the
major campsites are along Lyell Creek, at Glen Aulin, Return Creek and
Matterhorn Canyon. From the South slopes of Dohanue Pass, ascend the pass,
then descend into Lyell Canyon and continue to Toulmne Meadows. Camp in the
backpacker campground. Use the bear boxs provided and make sure that you
have eaten and stowed all food before dark. DO NOT think you can outsmart or
outbluff Tolumne Yogi in the dark. ATTENTION, REPEAT ATTENTION. Do not be
part of the Chineese firedrill [<--not politically correct. TFB] that occurs
when the bear shows up in the dark and starts swiping food. People start
running in all directions, tripping over tent lines, spilling stove fuel and
creating all sorts of dangerous situations. Get everything eaten and stowed
well before dark.

>From Tolumne Meadows you need to pass Glen Aulin, Return Creek and
Matterhorn Canyon before camping on the ascent towards Benson Pass. Smedburg
Lake is a good spot to camp with many hidden campsites off trail before the
lake. Fishing is good enough to guarantee dinner so.....

Descending into Benson Lake/Swamp you are entering country owned by at least
two bears. In late season Bensen Lake is an awesome destination. However, in
early season the Sierra Rivera [a sandy beach] is underwater. The good news
is that the reports of alligators in the swamp are untrue. What was sighted
and identified as alligators was simply Benson Mosquitoes relaxing on a deer
carcass that they had killed. Continue North of Benson Lake to the small
lakes before Seavey Pass, or further, before camping.

Kings Canyon National Park requires that thruhikers use bear boxs [if they
don't have a canister] between the flat at 12,000 feet North of Forrester
pass and the Woods Creek Bridge about 8 miles north of Rae Lakes. There are
boxes at Center Basin, 5 miles North of Forrester Pass, Vidette Meadows,
Charlotte Lake, Rae Lake and the Woods Creek crossing so using a bear box
encounters no difficulty. The trail North of Woods Creek Bridge produces no
special bear problem until the descent into LeConte Canyon. There is often a
bear working Little Pete Meadow and around the ranger station. After Muir
Pass the bear activity picks up as the trail loses altitude. Camping low is
not advised. Most people camp before the Evolution Creek crossing so that
this may be attempted in the early morning, then ascend to Sally Keys Lake,
or beyond, before camping.

Disclaimer: One thing bear canisters DO for sure is to alter the habits of
bears. One result is more bears working car campgrounds and walk-in
campgrounds. At Dhorst Campground in Sequoia National park, there are 14
bears working the campers. The rules at that campground is that one must
ALWAYS be able to grab your food while cooking. If you are EVEN ONE STEP
AWAY from your food a bear may try for it and create a dangerous situation.
IMLTHO this is the shape of things to come in the Sierra. Suffice to say
that patterns and habits change from year to year. What the old timers
thought about scaring bears and hanging food is certainly out of date. My
advice may be out of date as well.

My advice: NEVER sleep with your food near you or in your tent. If you are
too tired to hang it properly simply hang it on a low branch to keep the
marmots away from it and HOPE the bear doesn't come. If you are stealth
camping you will probably not be visited. If you are DO NOT try to retrieve
the food. You are NOT a physical match for a bear.