[pct-l] Re: 1. guidebooks 2. Park bears

[mardav at charter.net (Marion Davison)]

1. At last years ADZPCTKO gear contest, Billy Goat shared his method of 
handling guides.  He takes apart the guidebook, the data book, the town 
guide, and Yogi's book, matches the pages together by the section they 
cover, punches holes in the edge, and sticks them together with those 
round book rings. The rings can be removed and transfered onto the next 
set when he gets it at his resupply.   He includes a few sheets of plain 
paper for a journal. 

2.  I have camped in Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp and was visited by a 
large persistent bear just after dusk.  He seemed to have a regular 
nightly route thru the camp.  The camp has bear boxes, and everyone is 
using them, so I am not sure why he bothers.
About a mile north of Glen Aulin I camped near the trail and was visited 
briefly by a small bear.  One of my llamas ran off in terror but I found 
him easily next morning.  I nearly fell off an 80 foot cliff while 
looking for him at dawn.
Sequoia is loaded with bear boxes, and the recreational hikers are 
supposed to use bear cans and leave the boxes for the long distance 
hikers along the PCT.  I didn't see any boxes north of Woods Creek 
Crossing, but I've heard there is now a box near the South Fork Kings 
River Crossing.
We have had  bears around the camp about 10 times in Sequoia-Kings, and 
every time we saw one we were camped in a bear box campsite.  We have 
never seen them in the stealth sites we used.  They were especially 
pushy on the western side of the range, at Pinto Lake, Tamarack Creek, 
Lower Tent Meadow, and Avalanche junction on Bubbs Creek.  I really 
don't care to camp at the hiker ghettos created by the bear boxes.  It 
is kind of a drag to have all your food in a bear box and still have 
bears waking you in the middle of the night, hanging around your camp.  
It is nice to have cannisters to have the flexibility to camp anywhere 
without fear of yogi or Ranger Bob's ticket book. 
llamalady