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Re: [pct-l] bears and food
In a message dated 9/10/99 9:48:23 AM Pacific Daylight Time, drufner@ucsd.edu
writes:
<< Bears can not climb the wire or chew through them, as they do to even
large tree branches. Anyone know what the resistance is to these? >>
I believe bears are able to defeat cables by hanging on one end which leads
to the hung bags sliding down the cable to the low end where the bear is able
to get them. Car Break ins in Yosemite and other popular camping areas is
way down this year where boxes are used. I've talked to some back country
rangers in Yosemite that favor their being used more widely in the Sierras.
Bear food raids are also way down from what I understand in the Yosemite back
country because of canister use. New high tech canisters such as the Wild
Ideas prototypes have 1/2 the weight to volume ratio as the Garcia making
them more practical for ounce weenies. As an alternative stealth camping,
scent control, and counter-balancing in combination would work well virtually
every time for black bears. Not being a S to N PCT thru-hiker yet myself, I
can't rely on bears' early season inactivity in the Sierras after July 1. I
think sleeping with your food much after that date in Yosemite would be quite
risky. Whether it increases the risk for others because of training bears to
enter tents without a food scent is an interesting question. Bob R
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