Watauga Lake Shelter

[Plain Pete]

The Watauga Lake shelter has a tag team of bears. There is a mother and her two cubs. The cubs can climb the bear pole and knock down or rip open food bags or packs. The hit 3 hikers in the past few days. We skipped it and went on to Pond Mountain to tent camp.

[dmax]

I read the same thing yesterday on a hand written note at one of the campsites just south of the shelter. Couldn't miss the campsite. It was full of hiker trash.

[ChinMusic]

More evidence that hanging kills bears.

[rafe]

More evidence that hanging kills bears.

Huh ??? I don't get it.

[Lone Wolf]

sleep with your food

[The Ace]

More evidence that hanging kills bears.

Yep .....................

[Pedaling Fool]

More evidence that hanging kills bears.

sleep with your food

Exactly.



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[Toga]

Any recent reports? We stayed near the shelter on 5/20. That night a mama and her three cubs made rounds of the shelter and many of the lake side campsites.

[Ricky&Jack]

so its better to sleep with your pack/food than hanging it..... except where required by law?

im still trying to learn the tricks

[rafe]

so its better to sleep with your pack/food than hanging it..... except where required by law?

im still trying to learn the tricks

Don't believe everything you read on the Internet.

[imscotty]

@ Ricky&Jack,

This is a controversial subject. I sleep with my food. To others this is Heresy.

[Lone Wolf]

so its better to sleep with your pack/food than hanging it.....

im still trying to learn the tricks

yeah. been doin' it for 30 years. no problems. works for for me and many other LD walkers with experience

[Lone Wolf]

Don't believe everything you read on the Internet.

yeah really

[ChinMusic]

I have slept with my food on the AT for years as have many of my friends. It is my strong opinion that the practice of hanging food leads to problem bears. When I am in possession of my food I feel that I am not only protecting my food but potentially saving a bears life.

Your decision is your decision.

[Ricky&Jack]

my first overnite was black gap shelter on the approach 2 weeks ago. but about 3minutes after I got back on the trail the next morning, i saw a bear. (video is here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v...type=3&theater) so I slept alot closer to a bear then I had realized would happen.... I could see the bear 30feet in front of me, and the black gap shelter post sign was still visible behind me.

I had never seen a bear cable til I showed up at the shelter. I spent the first 45min thinking it was a lighting rod strangley not attached to the shelter. Didnt learn it was a bear cable til I read the log book for fun. I never did figure how to pull it down to attach my pack. So I slept with it.

So I'm still learning the whole bear thing.

[Pedaling Fool]

my first overnite was black gap shelter on the approach 2 weeks ago. but about 3minutes after I got back on the trail the next morning, i saw a bear. (video is here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v...type=3&theater) so I slept alot closer to a bear then I had realized would happen.... I could see the bear 30feet in front of me, and the black gap shelter post sign was still visible behind me.

I had never seen a bear cable til I showed up at the shelter. I spent the first 45min thinking it was a lighting rod strangley not attached to the shelter. Didnt learn it was a bear cable til I read the log book for fun. I never did figure how to pull it down to attach my pack. So I slept with it.

So I'm still learning the whole bear thing.

I'm in the camp with the others that keep my food with me in my tent. However, this doesn't work if you sleep in a shelter. If in a shelter, you must use those mouse hangers (different from the bear cables) provided by most shelters; if you keep your food next to you or in your sleeping bag while in a shelter, then a mouse will find and chew thru...



BTW, most shelters have mouse hangers (see here... http://sectionhiker.com/mouse-mobiles/ ) , but most do not have bear cables.

[yellowsirocco]

I was there the Sunday after Trail Days. We read the shelter log and heard about the bears. We hung our food high in the tree. The other guy got his bag stolen, but they didn't get mine. It was a mom and three cubs. We ended up throwing rocks at them to get them to go away. Making noise didn't do anything.

[Bronk]

my first overnite was black gap shelter on the approach 2 weeks ago. but about 3minutes after I got back on the trail the next morning, i saw a bear. (video is here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v...type=3&theater) so I slept alot closer to a bear then I had realized would happen.... I could see the bear 30feet in front of me, and the black gap shelter post sign was still visible behind me.

I had never seen a bear cable til I showed up at the shelter. I spent the first 45min thinking it was a lighting rod strangley not attached to the shelter. Didnt learn it was a bear cable til I read the log book for fun. I never did figure how to pull it down to attach my pack. So I slept with it.

So I'm still learning the whole bear thing.

I'm pretty impressed that you had a dog with you and he didn't react at all. Did he not realize it was there or is he just that well behaved?

[Toga]

I was there the Sunday after Trail Days. We read the shelter log and heard about the bears. We hung our food high in the tree. The other guy got his bag stolen, but they didn't get mine. It was a mom and three cubs. We ended up throwing rocks at them to get them to go away. Making noise didn't do anything.

Same bears visited our camp the following Tuesday. There were a total of 7 of us camping a half mile south of the dam, all screaming at the top of our lungs. She worked at our bags unsuccessfully for hours, others were not so lucky.

[Ricky&Jack]

BTW, most shelters have mouse hangers (see here... http://sectionhiker.com/mouse-mobiles/ ) , but most do not have bear cables.

outside, it was 2 poles maybe 20ft tall with about 4-6 cables and pullies. I kept trying to pull down so I can attach my bag, but I couldnt get it lowered.... But in the morning, I saw 2 bags hanging. So I guess I just didnt know how to use it. Im not sure if it is a mouse or bear cable then. I took 1 crappy pic.
IMGP0333.jpg

And Bronk, my husky is only 6 months old. He's is kinda well behaved. I kept him off leash at all times on the trail except for 1 mile before/after amicalola/black gap shelter til once I knew there were no other people around. And I leash him when I see someone coming because he wants to play with them and follow them instead (he thinks everybody he meets is his new best friend).

Since we barely left camp 3minutes prior, he was still on the leash. And he paused when he saw/heard the bear. but while i was making the video i linked to above, he pretty much just sat there not knowing what I was doing stopped with a camera out.

Im not sure how he would have reacted if he was off leash when he saw the bear. We hadn't came across any deer/rabbits/squirrels etc while off the leash yet to see if he is a chaser or not.