[pct-l] when to hang food in WA

[chelin at teleport.com (Sharon & Chuck Chelin)]

Good morning, David,

Throughout all of Oregon and Washington bear sightings are possible.  The
population is high, but you will be fortunate if you get to see a few
because they are wild and not habituated.  I do not hang food in either
state, either for bears or little critters, and only once have I been
influenced to do so.  In N. Cascades NP (NCNP), north of Stehekin, the
ranger who assigned campsites insisted that I use the bear pole at the
assigned site, just as he insisted that I not urinate or defecate in the
park unless it was absolutely necessary, and only then after blah, blah,
blah ...

Bears are unlikely to ever be a big problem in NCNP because it's use by
people is considerably less than in the more popular and accessible
California parks, however the same Park administrative practices are in
place to encourage bear habitation, i.e., enforced concentration of people
into specific campsites and no bear hunting.  I suggest you avoid the
problem by planning to camp outside of NCNP.  From High Bridge to the Park's
northern border is only about a half-day march, so stay a night in Stehekin
then get clear of the regulated park campsites the next day.

Steel-Eye

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Plotnikoff" <david@emeraldlake.com>
To: <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Saturday, October 29, 2005 11:22 AM
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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