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[pct-l] bears and food



At 05:33 PM 12/30/2003 -0800, scott deputy wrote:
>How often do you bear bag you food while thru hiking?  I usually hike a 
>couple of miles after dinner and don't camp at established sites.

It's not so much a question of "how often," but where. You're right that 
canisters are required in the High Sierra, though the answer is more 
complex, when passing through King's Canyon National Park, Inyo National 
Forest and Yosemite, you must have a canister or risk a fine. Though Bear 
Boxes are in King's Canyon National Park, you may not wish to camp by them, 
so relying on them may be a mistake.

Avoiding established campgrounds is a good idea, but odds are you'll be 
camping near the trail. As the bears live in the High Sierra and wander 
about areas near the trail, stealth camping isn't reliable, though it's 
prudent to not advertise your presence to the bears.

Canisters are mandatory for a reason; they keep bears from getting your 
food which, in the long run, promotes safety for both hikers and bears. A 
heavy canister weighs 3 pounds which is, for a hungry hiker, a day or two's 
worth of food. Yes, that is a lot of weight, but saving weight at the 
expense of safety may be a moment of convenience exchanged for a lifetime 
of regret. If not you, than possibly someone else and/or the bear.

If the extra weight is truly a bother, consider re-supplying more often. 
There are many places to resupply in the Sierra. Lone Pine, Independence, 
Muir Ranch, VVR, Bishop, Mammoth Lakes and Yosemite.

Make your own decision, but weigh the all the possible consequences of your 
actions. Actions having the gravest consequences deserve the most scrutiny. 
Regardless, saving weight at the expense of safety isn't wise.

Tangent