Yes, season begins in October.Originally Posted by Sarcasm the elf
I don't always hang my food but when I do I use the PCT method.
I should add that I never saw the PCT method used on the PCT. Most PCT hikers use the in the tent method.
Everything is in Walking Distance
I think its handy to carry a stun grenade to heave in the bear's direction when you see one and it doesn't beat feet at the sound of your voice. If you can't get a stun grenade, the "sonic boom" six pack available in your finer south carolina fireworks stores will do the job. the pct method is mainly a great way to take up a few hours of time before it gets dark.
Are you serious?
Just kidding about stun grenades. Im for the big firecracker rather than kill one. Works with moose too.
Last edited by juma; 09-01-2014 at 19:02.
Just curious, why would in-the-tent storage of food be even considered as a acceptable solution at all? A bear does not care if you are holding it next to you when he wants it. You are a visitor in his house and he is not afraid of you. You can sleep with your food for 30 years and never have a problem. But when you do have that one incident, you will realize he is a wild animal who is hungry for your food. He does not care one bit that you are sleeping with it. Sleeping with your food is similar to going scuba diving in shark infested waters with pork chops hanging off your neck. Why would you even consider it?
The shark analogy is flawed, just as it is flawed to say hiking around black bears is exactly the same as hiking around polar bears.
By your reasoning one should never carry food out into the "bear's house" on one's back without a gun to keep the black bears away from your food.
There are lots of arguments on both sides of the sleep with food/hang your food issue. However, the statements above are not supported by bear research. Here is a good article from a bear researcher about how most bears are quite afraid of people.
http://www.bear.org/website/bear-pag...ack-bears.html
These other pages on this web site are filled with lots of useful info.
http://www.bear.org/website/bear-pag...-a-humans.html
Yes most black bears run away from people.
That unfortunately does not mean 100% will all the time.
There is always a minute chance something bad could happen. However, your chances of having a heart attack, or slipping and dieing from a head wound, are higher.
The option to talking risk, is to stay home.
...I just hope my first bear encounter is with a smart bear that can read and understands all these statistics.
An air horn works also, but not worth the weight. Plus the kid factor, including the big kids.
I hiking that section this weekend and did not see a bear. I am happy I did not see a bear. I hope to never see a bear.
Yes you do.
Have hike a few section hikes, Glacier, Yellowstone and a bunch around North GA and NC and never saw a bear.
Was not until I cycled the Blue Ridge Parkway (end to end) that I saw my first bear crossing the road.
It was the first day of a six day ride and it was the most memorable aspect of the entire trip.
I cannot wait to see my next bear in their environment.
Did you read the pages I linked in my previous post? One article is by a bear researcher who, having learned how bears really behave, grew to enjoy his bear encounters.
Some people hike the entire trail and never see a bear. I saw one about 4 hours into my first hike (central VA). All the other hikers said I was incredibly lucky to see one early on my first day.
I had been wanting to see a bear for a while. I always make it a point to just sit a be quiet a few times throughout my hike to enjoy my surroundings. Its amazing what you see and hear when your not walking down the trail.
This was my first bear encounter. Like I said in the OP, the first one was cool because I heard the bear coming down the mountain before I saw it. And I sat and watched it quietly before it disappeared into the forest. Then I heard something much larger behind the first one but could never see it. That made me kind of nervous and retrace my steps up the trail to where I felt more comfortable. I eventually hollered out because I needed to keep walking and never heard or saw anything again until Wolf Laurel Top. This encounter made me nervous and it sounds like I did the right thing by getting out of there...
I always hope to see black bears. They aren't anything to be feared, its something to look forward too. Every bear ive seen, has either run away, calmly watched me with indifference, or ignored me. Never had one take any interest in me. Closest was 10 ft away.
I was disappointed on the JMT to not see any. I slept thru one that visited the backpackers camp in Yosemite, earplugs will do that.heard about it later.
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 09-03-2014 at 22:17.
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