Mandatory Bear Cannister?

[Darwin13]

This is apparently 'mandatory' if you sleep between Jarrard Gap and Neel's Gap but not before or after? How does that even work? Some sort of bear force field that they can't penetrate? What I am trying to figure out it why I would need to carry an expensive and heavy bear canister for 1 night in a random three mile stretch.

What happens to me WORST CASE SCENARIO i dont have one in mid march.

[Darwin13]

eaten by a bear mid walk? shot and killed by enranged park ranger? eaten by park ranger/bear hybrid and then ticketed?

also, i always hang my food using proper bear bagging protocol.

[max patch]

You only need a bear cannister if you camp in the 5 mile stretch from Jarrad Gap to Neels Gap. So just don't camp in that area. Most thrus stay at Lance Creek which is just S of Jarrad. Easy hike the next day to Neels and beyond.

[max patch]

What happens to me WORST CASE SCENARIO i dont have one in mid march.

You lose all your food to a bear AND if a ranger catches you pay a hefty fine.

And the bear becomes that much closer to being euthanized or relocated.

[Malto]

With about 5 minutes of planning you can easily work around this. Stop short of Jarred Gap and then camp at or after Neels Gap. Or do what others do and carry a canister on the approach trail, figure out you need to get lighter when you hit the first steep uphill then leave your canister for someone like me to collect.

As for why just this little area..... There is likely one or two problem bears that have figured out that hikers carry food much tastier than can found in a rotten log. They will go back to the same places because earlier attempts were reinforced with food.

[Mags]

At 2MPH, it will take you 2.5 hrs to walk through.

Plan accordingly.

[kidchill]

Yep, just don't camp in that section. I always hung my food bag from the end of my hammock and never had a problem.

[Pedaling Fool]

Someone who really cares will probably look this up to confirm, but I remember reading in the regs that you can camp in that 5-mile section without a bear canister if you walk off the trail 1/4 of a mile.

[Mags]

Someone who really cares will probably look this up to confirm, but I remember reading in the regs that you can camp in that 5-mile section without a bear canister if you walk off the trail 1/4 of a mile.

Seems to be basically correct. That means it is about 15 minutes walking to comply with the regs depending on where you on the corridor:


The storage regulation is mandatory for all dispersed camping in the Blood Mountain Wilderness within a quarter mile of the trail from Jarrard Gap to Neels Gap, which includes the Blood Mountain Shelter and Woods Hole Shelter. Hikers who choose not to camp along this section of trail are not required to carry a canister

Map:
http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_...rdb5351875.pdf



Does not seem too hard to comply. Camp off a side trail..or walk two hours.

[surfnturk]

"Perhaps some people, like myself, believe that a 'government' should not and can not own the land because it is no single entity or person's to own."

I happened to see where you posted this earlier. If you truly believe that and have such strong convictions, then screw the government rules and dont use a canister. It's a small price to pay to stand by your convictions isn't it?

[Darwin13]

"Perhaps some people, like myself, believe that a 'government' should not and can not own the land because it is no single entity or person's to own."

I happened to see where you posted this earlier. If you truly believe that and have such strong convictions, then screw the government rules and dont use a canister. It's a small price to pay to stand by your convictions isn't it?

PErhaps. What I wanted to find out was what could happen and then make a decision accordingly. Actually the only thing that is now keeping me from staying in that part was the comment about a bear being killed because it was tempted with food. Thats just ****ed up and is enough reason for me to work around it. I dont care about it or follow it as a law, but I care about the health of the animals so will change accordingly. Survive and adapt.

[Pendragon]

Ahhhh......how exactly are these bears avoiding hunters during hunting season, anyway? Or are all bears protected in this area? Seems to me sooner or later the problem bears try to nab the wrong guys backpack.

[Blissful]

The bears are just as much an issue north of there too in GA...

If it were bear season and thru hiker season, I'd take a canister throughout GA. But that's me. Every year there are multiple reports of hikers losing their food.

Or find those camping sites no one else uses.

[Sly]

Someone who really cares will probably look this up to confirm, but I remember reading in the regs that you can camp in that 5-mile section without a bear canister if you walk off the trail 1/4 of a mile.

Bushwhacking 1/4 mile off trail is easier said than done and a good way to misplaced.

[BobL]

just finished a section hike from Springer to Unicoi gap last week. we planned our schedule to just hike through that 5 mile section. that is what the thru hikers were doing also.

[Odd Man Out]

It seems to me that there would have been little or no discussion of this issue if they just said "no camping within 1/4 of the trail in this 5 mile sections". Given that it is such a short section, wouldn't that have been a simpler (and possibly more effective) solution? Adding the bear canister option only made things more complicated than they needed to be.

[Gramps]

So why just this 5-mile stretch between Jarrard & Neel's? Were they not able to instruct the bears about staying away from hikers? Perhaps the bears are real problem children (cubs?) who revolt against any authority and are determined to do it their way. Maybe a few days of ICS (in-cave suspension) will improve their attitudes!