Re: [pct-l] Bear Reinforcement

[Brick Robbins <brick@fastpack.com>]

At 01:21 AM 9/11/99 +0000, reynolds@ilan.com wrote:
>I might add that the thruhiker who was stalked by a bear and cub reported
>that every other bear she saw either ran or she chased the bear off. MOST
>bears avoid humans. It used to be ALL bears, now its only MOST. Soon it
>will be SOME.

Tom:

I know the thru-hiker you are referring too, and there are some important 
facts that you are leaving out:

1) The thu-hiker was about a month behind the pack because of leaving to 
trail to heal an injury, so she was in a bear area in high season, not in 
early season like a thu-hiker would be.

2) The thru-hiker was camped in an established camp site only a couple of 
miles from the trail head and was not stealth camping.

I don't think you will find anyone who argues with you that a person 
camping in a high use area where bears frequent in high season should use a 
bear can.

You are trying to use this event to argue that all thru-hikers should use a 
bear can when the same set of circumstances don't apply.

I really don't see where a thru-hiker who travels through the problem areas 
in early season before the bears have moved back in, who stealth camps away 
from established camp sites, and who doesn't cook where they camp, will 
should have any problem.

The bears go looking for food where they have found it before. If a thru 
hiker doesn't camp there, or camps there before backpackers begin to 
frequent the area again (early season) there is no reason for bear to be 
poking around: so the only way a bear might find them is by smell. If they 
don't cook near where they camp, there is little chance of that happening.

I'm sure you will disagree, so we will have to agree to disagree.

-Brick
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