Lauriep
08-19-2009, 23:52
Howard McDonald of the Carolina Mountain Club asked me to share the following info with hikers so I'm posting it here:
"CMC has finished installing bear cables at each of our ten shelters.
There is one cable at each of nine of our shelters and two at Roaring
Fork shelter with the second one in the tent pad area. Each has four
haul cables with a calculated material capacity of 125 pounds per
haul cable but they can support much more than that.
We have had some damage by frustrated bears and by would-be Tarzan
hikers but it is being repaired and, I believe, no more damage will
occur. We will be looking at putting up smaller cables at some of the
popular camping areas but not until a year or so from now."
There also have been a few incidents recently in TN where bears have gotten food from hikers. In one case, it was from a hiker who slept with his food, in another, where the food was hung improperly.
For more details, see ATC Trail Updates page at www.appalachiantrail.org/updates (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/updates).
The page also has shelter closures and cautions in the Smokies related to bears.
Laurie P.
ATC
"CMC has finished installing bear cables at each of our ten shelters.
There is one cable at each of nine of our shelters and two at Roaring
Fork shelter with the second one in the tent pad area. Each has four
haul cables with a calculated material capacity of 125 pounds per
haul cable but they can support much more than that.
We have had some damage by frustrated bears and by would-be Tarzan
hikers but it is being repaired and, I believe, no more damage will
occur. We will be looking at putting up smaller cables at some of the
popular camping areas but not until a year or so from now."
There also have been a few incidents recently in TN where bears have gotten food from hikers. In one case, it was from a hiker who slept with his food, in another, where the food was hung improperly.
For more details, see ATC Trail Updates page at www.appalachiantrail.org/updates (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/updates).
The page also has shelter closures and cautions in the Smokies related to bears.
Laurie P.
ATC