[pct-l] when to hang food in WA

[bodhisattvavow at hotmail.com (Hotmail)]

With regard to bears, that is largely a personal decision.  When I hiked
Washington I didn't hang my food or use a bear canister.  I did see three
bears just outside of Stehekin.  The bears there are not habituated to
eating human food and therefore are not really a problem.  If you believe
that not hanging your food is likely to habituate the bears then I would
reccomend hanging it all the time.
       As for bug protection I have found that even a Montane featherlite
smock (unlined 3 oz. windshirt) was enough to protect my torso from
mosquitoes when worn over my normal hiking shirt.
Peace and Love,
Matt
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Plotnikoff" <david@emeraldlake.com>
To: <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Saturday, October 29, 2005 12:22 PM
Subject: [pct-l] when to hang food in WA


> Hello from a longtime list-lurker and section hiker.
>
> I had a quick question to insert between the gun/bike/dog/charity/misc.
> flame thread:
>
> After reading about three dozen journals, I'm still unable to find any
> consensus call on when to begin routinely hanging food in Washington.
> Stehekin to the border is a known and posted bear area. Yet many journal
> writers said their worst rodent problems were from Snoqualmie to Stehekin.
> And others reported the mice began to be a nocturnal nuisance right out of
> Cascade Locks. Two reported bear sightings (but not bear problems) south
of
> Cascade Locks.
>
> Is there any consensus on when to start routinely hanging food in WA? I
> added a rope and stuff sack at Big Bear this past year and carried them
all
> the way through to KM (where I picked up a Garcia can) and only used them
> once -- at Spanish Needle Creek, just prior to KM.
>
> While I'm at it, what's the collective wisdom on carrying a Marmot
DriClime
> windshirt through Oregon in July? My previous worst mosquito experiences
> (Desolation Wilderness through Plumas) taught me the little demons can
bite
> through even two layers of snug shirt. I'm thinking the windshirt may be
> just loose enough and thick enough to work as a mosquito barrier in camp.
> My alternative is to go to raingear in the evenings.
>
> In a perfect world, I'd add a windshirt at Cascade Locks and a hang rope +
> bag at Snoqualmie. But I'd like to hear some other perspectives on this.
>
> Thanks for your consideration,
>
> DP
>
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