almostthere
Trail Wise!
putting on my hiking shoes....
Posts: 696
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Post by almostthere on Mar 18, 2016 11:28:11 GMT -8
A friend/fellow backpacker of my acquaintance tells stories that led to her being the most careful, bear aware person I have ever met. People call me paranoid when it comes to bear proofing, she makes me look careless. She worked trail crew for years and has had bears stick their heads into the tent, come into the tent, sniff her ear... One of her tent mates on trail crew was keeping candy bars under her pillow instead of storing them with the rest of the food, because she didn't want others to eat them, and woke up with the bear licking her face. I don't repeat a lot of her stories because people I hike with are often newbies who are already more paranoid than I am.
Sierra bears are mostly harmless. The incidents I've heard about, of injuries caused by bears, are pretty much food storage issues.
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Post by Lonewolf on Mar 18, 2016 14:43:34 GMT -8
woke up with the bear licking her face. I think I mentioned it here but I've had that happen. Some 15 miles into B/C Smokies bivied out and opened my eyes just in time to look into a bear's mouth as it licked my face. I let out a manly yell (AKA screaming like a little girl) and it "oofed" and fell over backwards, jumped up and ran off, running into a tree in its panic to get away. After the rest of the sleepless night and daylight arrived, I realized that 9', 1000# beast was actually about the size of a medium dog and maybe 2 years old. I'm guessing it had never encountered a human before but I'll also guess it never went near another one the rest of its life.
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Post by Lonewolf on Mar 18, 2016 14:46:05 GMT -8
What difference does it make if your can is 100 yards away or 1 yard away It most probably keeps the bear at 100 yards instead of at 1 when you stick your head out to see what's making the noise. And in grizzly country, you really don't want to come face to face with one... because then there'd be a good chance yours would abruptly come up missing.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Mar 18, 2016 14:53:30 GMT -8
What difference does it make if your can is 100 yards away or 1 yard away It most probably keeps the bear at 100 yards instead of at 1 when you stick your head out to see what's making the noise. And in grizzly country, you really don't want to come face to face with one... because then there'd be a good chance yours would abruptly come up missing. even with the milder black bears. Startling a creature at night that's focused on your food canister that's capable of pealing open a car door like a foil wrapper off a candy bar? Not the best idea out there. Most may run, but the one that swipes first and then runs will ruin your whole day.
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Post by JRinGeorgia on Mar 21, 2016 5:36:08 GMT -8
I agree, I prefer a little more distance between myself and a several-hundred pound omnivore with claws and teeth. Intelligence is not the only trait bears share with humans, they also have varied and sometimes unpredictable temperaments and personalities. So even with black bears, which did not evolve to the top of their food chain and thus still have tendencies to shy away from contact, you still have the occasional pissed-off bear, the bear with a chip on his shoulder, the aggressive bear (and always with any encounter the potential for the startled/panicked bear).
They also will have different levels of experience with bear canisters, so if they run across yours they may not yet have learned the lesson that bear canisters are a big tease and should be avoided, so instead of moving on when it comes across your canister the bear hangs out batting it around, gnawing the edges, and bouncing on it all night long -- and getting increasingly frustrated in the process. It's unlikely, but if it does happen I'd like the bear to be a bit more than arm's length from me.
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reuben
Trail Wise!
Gonna need more Camels at the next refugio...
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Post by reuben on Mar 21, 2016 6:18:55 GMT -8
Intelligence is not the only trait bears share with humans, they also have varied and sometimes unpredictable temperaments and personalities. ...you still have the occasional pissed-off bear, the bear with a chip on his shoulder, the aggressive bear We should invite them to join the forum.
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crawford
Trail Wise!
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.--Edison
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Post by crawford on Mar 21, 2016 10:44:33 GMT -8
Maybe just been lucky so far ...(6 Muirs and a PCT...maybe a few thousand+ bag nights), but I fail to understand this last "tough stuff - (insert snickery laughter here)" section. What difference does it make if your can is 100 yards away or 1 yard away except you can watch your can if it is close by? Markskor, The reference was to Daveb tying a string to his toe and outside to bologna. That is why he would be made of tough stuff.
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daveb
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Post by daveb on Mar 21, 2016 11:04:08 GMT -8
Markskor, The reference was to Daveb tying a string to his toe and outside to bologna. That is why he would be made of tough stuff. .. to be honest, I'm not that tough.
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amaruq
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Call me Little Spoon
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Post by amaruq on Mar 21, 2016 11:17:22 GMT -8
No, no. You simply tie it around a toe-hair. Better to have the bear pull out a hair to wake you rather than a whole toe.
Which of course can either be given up as another tasty snack for the bear or shipped next-day delivery to the Downtown Hotel in Dawson City, Yukon, to replace their recently swallowed sourtoe. For a hefty finder's-fee, of course.
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reuben
Trail Wise!
Gonna need more Camels at the next refugio...
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Post by reuben on Mar 21, 2016 11:27:26 GMT -8
Now that's weird.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2016 6:12:42 GMT -8
idahobob , If you have the time, being up at Tuolumne Meadows as the NOBO PCT through hikers finish the Sierras could net you a used bear canister on the cheap.
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idahobob
Trail Wise!
many are cold, but few are frozen
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Post by idahobob on Mar 22, 2016 14:21:05 GMT -8
Great idea Ohm. But I'll be starting at the south end, and finishing at Tuollumne Mdws. I"m about convinced a Bearikade is a good investment for future trips in the Sierra, Tetons, and Winds. Not required in the Winds, but still a good idea.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Mar 22, 2016 15:08:35 GMT -8
The Bishop NF visitor center rents them, and odds are decent you could return it to a different visitor center as both would be Inyo , maybe Mono Lake? Or if you're traveling past that way, rent it at Tuolumne Meadows from the Conservancy and head down to Whitney Portal or wherever and simply drop it off at the end back there (there's a 24 hour dropoff). Hard to beat $5 per week.... www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/bearcanrentals.htmOkay I've no idea why that's a bad link, just search "Yosemite bear canister rentals" "Bear Canister Rentals You can rent a Garcia Backpackers' Cache 812 canister from any staffed wilderness permit station. The cost is $5 per week with a $95 deposit (cash or credit card accepted, but you must pick up the cash deposit at the location where you rented the canister during business hours). Reservations are not available, nor are they necessary."
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