Re: [pct-l] bear advice on JMT

[Birgitte Jensen <bjensen4@juno.com>]

RRichey535@aol.com writes:
>Any ideas on food drop at Onion Valley TH to avoid having to hitch into 
>Independence?

    S'me again, Rich. Onion Valley's good for resupply, but unless you
know somebody or are willing to pay somebody to leave food for you there
(they'd either have to meet you or leave a parcel in one of the
bear-boxes at the CG), you'd have to hitch. There are a couple of Eastern
Sierra Shuttle services that charge (an exorbitant, IMHO) amount of $$ to
shuttle hikers from one TH to another/their cars; if $$ is no object, one
of those guys (locals) would probably accept a mail parcel from you and
shlep it up to Onion Valley. Warning: between thee/me, one of the guys is
a drunk, and sometimes not reliable... Also, I've experienced a couple
times that campers at Onion Valley were less-than-scrupulous about
fastening both chains on the box, and the result was that a bear peeled
the lid back like a sardine can.

     In August, especially on weekends, Onion Valley TH is mobbed, and
you'd have absolutely no problem with a hitch. (Don't sue me, however,
<G>) The town/post office are just at the bottom of the Onion Valley
Road, and it's very convenient. I hitch around there several times a
year, and, delicate solo female that I am, feel perfectly safe.  

   BTW, I still recommend the bear boxes, if you don't want to use a
canister. Just read your post about liking to commune with fellow hikers
at day's end, and thought, "a bear-box is a perfect substitute for the
old roaring campfire, gathering-round-wise." A lot of people _intend_ to
camp far from the trail, but find they're too tired or lonesome to go far
enough to get out of the main bear-routes. Sometimes, also, it's as much
of a hassle to find a decent off-trail campsite as it is to find on of
those perfect tree limbs to counterbalance on....and you just _can't_ be
careless or sloppy about food-storage.   My $.02         bj





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