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

[dude at fastmail.ca (dude)]

> I think your perspective is a bit skewed (at least
> from mine, and I'm a proud card-carrying member of the wacko-RIGHT
> wing).

what perspective is this?


> To change the current policy from
> co-existence to hunting because a handful of park visitors are
> inconvenienced is a bit extreme...

(a) its not just a handful of people who are "inconvenienced".  the 
stats are better these days, but in 1998 there were 1590 bear incidents 
in Yosemite alone that caused $659,000 in damage.
sources:
http://www.api4animals.org/1208print.htm
http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/99aug/9908am.htm

(b)  I am not suggesting that they just open the park to hunting 24/7 
by anyone who has a gun.  If you read what I wrote, I included the 
word "LIMITED" in there.  It wouldn't take much to re-educate the 
bears.  One week per summer in which a small handful of permits were 
issued for the less populated areas would probably do it.

Don't get me wrong, I am just as much of a naturalist as anyone, but 
people just can't seem to keep their food away from bears.  


In addition, why don't we FINE THE CRAP out of tourons who feed 
bears???  There are signs, the rangers constantly tell people, and its 
on all the brochures/maps/literature, but PEOPLE STILL FEED THE 
BEARS!!!!  I was in Yosemite two weeks ago and had to tell 3 different 
people to not feed the bears.  There was a ranger right there, and I 
yelled at the tourists feeding bears more than he did. It is true that 
we do invade the bear's home, and guess what... we would not be having 
this discussion if the other tourists that invade the bear's home 
didn't offer the bears candy bars, potato chips, and granola every 
single weekend for decades!  Thru-hikers didn't create this problem, 
the park service and its policies did.  Why should thru-hikers have to 
suffer due to the errors made by the park service.  let them fix their 
own mistakes.  Did you know that the park service used to have a 
garbage dump in Yosemite Valley with bleachers set up around the 
garbage so that tourists could come watch the bears rummage through the 
garbage????  This is 100% true and unembellished, here's a source: 
http://www.yosemite.national-park.com/info.htm

The park service CREATED the problem, NOT thru-hikers or ultra-lighters.


I have hiked all through the Sierra several times per year since 1998 
and never used a bear can, and I have never lost my food.  Call me 
lucky, but I have not been avoiding the bears.  I've camped in bear 
alley between tuolumne and yosemite valley and woke up in the middle of 
the night with a bear staring me in the face two feet away.  No bear 
has ever gotten my food.

Furthermore, I am not entirely sure that the law actually state sthat 
cannisters are required.  the law *used* to say that campers are 
responsible for "proper food storage" and can be fined if bears get 
their food.  Perhaps it has changed and now explicitly states that 
cannisters are required? I don't know.

I'd even settle for the following comprimise: Require cans and impose a 
$10,000 fine for not carrying one in the backcountry overnight, AND 
impose and *strictly enforce* an equal fine of $10,000 for any tourist 
that allow bears to get their food accidentally, and a $20,000 fine for 
tourists who *voluntarily* feed bears.  I guarantee you, if they 
imposed that kind of policy, you would not need a cannister after 
several years.

> Do you think the bears will stay away
> from the scent of food because it'll become scared of people? 

why not?  this has kept bears afraid of people for 1000's of years.

> A question for the thru-hikers: Is carrying a can REALLY that serious
> of a problem in the areas where they're required? Don't they go into
> the bounce boxes when they're not needed?

Most bounce boxes arent this big.


> That all said, I'm looking forward to the BV200 passing the test and
> becoming conditionally approved! 

what's this?

thanks for the dialogue.

peace,
dude

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