[pct-l] Scary bear story & not hanging food

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

I'm just not into these whacky bear experiements myself, got a bigger pack
and shelled out some cabbage for a can.  (that now needs to be retrofitted
'cause the tourons figured out how to screw up even when using a can by
cooking in them).

go bears !!!!!

s.c.

----- Original Message -----
From: "dude" <dude@fastmail.ca>
To: <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2004 2:00 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Scary bear story & not hanging food


> > 'cmon.....the black bears want food, they don't just rip up stuff that
> > doesn't smell like food...
>
> yes they do!!  I've seen it!  I saw it two weeks ago at the top of
> Nevada Falls.  A bear was wondering around getting into every single
> pack that was laying around unattended.  No food in these packs.  The
> bear would rip them open, find nothing, and move on to the next pack.
>
> The Park Service at Yosemite has uncounted stories of cars that were
> smashed in by bears because there was an *empty* pack or cooler in
> plain sight inside the car;  nothing in the cooler or pack.  The
> explanation is that bears have had so much experience already locating
> food inside packs and coolers that they now associate them with food
> regardless of if they actually have food in them.  Humans have trained
> bears to not only ignore, but to actually *distrust* their noses.
>
> This is a fact.  If you want to test it out, I suggest you take an
> empty pack up to Cathedral Lakes in Yosemite and leave it next to your
> tent when a bear wanders by.  See what happens.
>
> peace,
> dude
>
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