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[pct-l] Re: pct-l-digest V1 #572



RE:  These backcountry visitors were sleeping with their food and the
requirement for bear canisters or boxs

When I told my wife about this her reaction was "What you feared has come
to pass!" I have long expected that bears will ultimately learn to attack
hikers defending their food with their body.

Concerning the idea that things haven't changed:
About 12 years ago, we hiked thru Rae Lakes. That was the *FIRST year their
were bear problems at Rae Lakes. Until that year Rae Lakes had been
considered too high for bears. BTW, that was the year that berry crop
failed causing bears to do all sorts of unnatural things like wander the
streets of Lone Pine. They put the bear boxs in the week after we were
there. We had bear incidents before Rae Lakes at Kearsarge Lakes and after
Rae Lakes in Paradise Valley.

Concerning the power of Rangers to make these laws:
Apparantly the NPS and NFS have the administrative law power to make and
enforce these rules. The law gives them the authority to make
administrative rules to protect the environment [close camping area for
example] or visitors [this order for example]. This order would be
difficult to fight because it isn't damaging anyone's business, ie. costing
dollars [packers for example]. The NFS rules in Kearsarge are probably the
same administrative law rules.

For 1999 ThruHikers
There are multiple bear boxs at Vidette Meadows so skip Center Basin. From
Vidette Meadows you should probably make it all the way to the bear boxs at
the Woods Creek Bridge. In the early season, when most thruhikers pass thru
the Sierra, there is little traffic so the boxs are empty. The real pain is
if you are going to resupply at Onion Valley. It is not difficult to get
from Vidette to the road. However, if you don't get an early start, the
return trip it is a long hike over Kearsarge and Glenn Pass to the bear
boxs near the ranger station. There are bear boxs at Charlotte Lake


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