[pct-l] Bear Cans in Yosemite

[chwillet at indiana.edu (Christopher Willett)]

This is what makes the process so frustrating for people.  Rules are
not uniform and seem to change depending on who you talk to.  
I was never able to get the story straight and still don't know 
it completely. Here, however, are some comments on the rules for 
SEKI and Yosemite.  Pay attention to the fact that these places 
are not Inyo or the Ansel Adams.

Take a look at the SEKI website and peek around a bit until you come
across:

http://www.nps.gov/seki/bear_bc.htm

There you are presented with three ways to properly store your food:

Quote:

Plan ahead to store food in one of these three ways, listed in order of
effectiveness:

   1. Rent or buy National Park Service-tested bear-resistant portable
food canisters (available at markets and most park visitor centers).
Canisters are by far the preferred method of food storage throughout the
backcountry. They are required on the Rae Lakes Loop and in Dusy Basin
(both in Kings Canyon National Park) from the Friday of Memorial Day in
May through October 31.

   2. When available, camp at an area with a metal storage box. Keep in
mind that you must share these food boxes with other hikers; locks are not
permitted on them. Carry rope for hanging food in case the box is full or
you don't camp where you intended.

   3. Carefully hang food by the counter-balance method. Only use this
option if the others are not available, and practice it before your trip! 

Un-quote

Note option 3.  No restrictions or other qualifiers.  Note the last line 
in option 2.  Note that Rae Lakes is on the PCT.

I'm sure a search of the website further would produce documents saying
something different.

Alright, lets check out what Yosemite has to say.  At 

http://www.nps.gov/yose/wilderness/bfoodstorage.htm

we see that

Quote:

Use of "bear canisters" is required in these locations:

    * Little Yosemite Valley-Half Dome-Moraine Dome area
    * Rancheria Falls area
    * High Sierra Camps
    * Above 9,600 feet
    * Beginning in summer 2004, bear canisters are likely to become
required within approximately 15 miles of trailheads. If/when this
regulation takes effect, a map showing areas in the park where canisters
are required will be added to this web page.

Unquote. Note that you drop below the 9600 ft level rapidly after coming
over Donahue Pass into the park.  When you leave Tuolumne, you break the 
9600 ft level a few times.  So, to be completely legal, you'd have to
avoid camping in these areas. Note that the PCT goes by at least one 
of the High Sierra Camps right after leaving Tuolumne.

The document continues with:

Quote:

Although the counter-balance method of food storage is permitted in some
areas of the park, it is strongly discouraged due to its lack of
effectiveness and the damage that is caused to trees by persistant bears.
If you choose to store your food using this technique, consider it only a
delaying tactic. Be prepared to actively defend your food and repeatedly
scare bears out of your camp through the night. Without this negative
reinforcement, bears will figure out a way to get your counter-balanced
food - some bears will go so far as to literally chew the branch off the
tree to get at food bags. Help Keep Yosemite's Bears Wild - Use a
Bear-Resistant Canister!

Each year, bears outinely obtain properly hung food!

Unquote.

So, the official park websites for both places discourage the use of 
hanging food, but do not declare it to be illegal except in certain 
circumstances noted above.  Of course, I'm sure someone will find 
other documents contradicting these ones.  

Suge




On Tue, 9 Mar 2004, Steve Courtway wrote:

> just as it's illegal to be riding bicycles on the Pacific Crest Trail, it is
> also illegal to hike in Yosemite National Park and Kings Canyon National
> Park without properly storing your food.  Hanging and stealth camping don't
> count.  heh.
> 
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----------------------
Christopher Willett
Department of Mathematics
Indiana University
831 East Third Street
Bloomington, IN. 47405-7106
(812)-855-1448
chwillet@indiana.edu
mypage.iu.edu/~chwillet