[pct-l] Thru-Hikers and cans (was Scary bear story & not hangingfood)

[scourtway at bpa-arch.com (Steve Courtway)]

bah hunting bears in the national parks...heh heh.

I think things're fine just the way they are.

and y'all better get a bigger pack if you're on the JMT after mid-late june.

all (mostly) in fun,
s.c.

----- Original Message -----
From: "dude" <dude@fastmail.ca>
To: <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2004 1:49 PM
Subject: [pct-l] Thru-Hikers and cans (was Scary bear story & not
hangingfood)


> > I have come to the belief that the whole issue of cans and some of the
> > thru-hikers that are so against cans is not one of discomfort or
> > inconvenience, but rather one of rebellion, one of attitude and belief
> > that thru-hikers are above the rules.
>
>
> I disagree.  I cannot even fit a bear can into my 1900 c.i. pack.  When
> I trail ran the JMT, I carried a 900 c.i. lumbar pack, no cannister
> will even come close to fitting in there.
>
> Carrying a can goes against the whole "ultra-light" philosophy.  If my
> entire pack base-weight is 8lbs, adding 3 more lbs is increasing my
> base weight by nearly 40%!!!  Why should I try to eliminate EVERY
> single item in my pack that doesn't have multiple uses, except for
> one?  The bear can reverses all my hard work of getting pack weight
> down to an absolute minimum.
>
> Then there is also the cost issue.  Bear cans are not cheap, you cannot
> easily rent them on a thru-hike, and they do not provide any usefulness
> for hikes where they are not required.  It will end up being just
> another item in my garage.
>
> The park service should look at their policy on bears.  Bears are not
> endangered, and they are not threatened.  If they would allow very
> limited and well-managed bear hunting in the park, bears would very
> quickly become scared of people (the way its supposed to be) and would
> no longer bother hikers and campers.  Why is is illegal to carry a gun
> to protect yourself, your spouse, or your children from a bear, but it
> is not illegal to carry a gun to protect livestock???  Is this not the
> ultimate left-wing wacko law??  when cattle and mules are more
> important to protect than human beings, something is definitely awry.
> I understand that people *might* abuse the law if it were legal to
> shoot bears to protect people, but surely we could figure out another
> way around this.
>
> I know that this will unleash a huge backlash of environmentalist
> rhetoric, but there is nothing wrong with discussion.  tht's why we are
> on this list, right?
>
> peace,
> dude
> _________________________________________________________________
>     http://fastmail.ca/ - Fast Secure Web Email for Canadians
> _______________________________________________
> pct-l mailing list
> pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
> unsubscribe or change options:
> http://mailman.hack.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l