Bear bites Appalachian Trail thru-hiker in the Smokies - WBIR.com

[Offshore]

Just another reason to skip the GSMNP. It's overused and over regulated and has become a problematic section of the AT. In the best interest of the trail, the ATC should consider relocating the trail somewhere out of the park. The section of the trail through the park has become a rut that needs time to heal and hikers need relief from the stringent regulations.


Tapatalk

Its not up to the ATC. The AT is a National Scenic Trail administered by the National Park Service. While the ATC does a ton of work to support the AT and no doubt has influence with the NPS, it has no statutory authority to move the trail. As far as "stringent" regulations, every thru who has done any planning knows that these regulations exist and they need to deal with them. Yet every year we get the same whining and complaining from a small but vocal and entitled subset of thrus. Until the NPS reviews and changes their regulations, hikers can either follow them, violate them and risk the penalty, or if they feel that strongly, just bypass the GSMNP.

[jbbweeks]

"A whining, small, vocal, entitled subset" Sounds like a bunch of geologist demanding they be considered 'real scientists'! May a bear bite them in the butt!


Tapatalk

[Gambit McCrae]

If the AT route could be transitioned to the BMT for a period of say 4-5 years. This would allow the AT time to heal. After said cool down period, it would be easy to flip flop the official route of the AT from said AT, to BMT alternating years. Giving a 1 year cool down period every 365 days. Otherwise, the same problem is just going to transfer to the BMT route

[Pedaling Fool]

"A whining, small, vocal, entitled subset" Sounds like a bunch of geologist demanding they be considered 'real scientists'! May a bear bite them in the butt!


Tapatalk

Yeah, those annoying "rock people" wanting us to think they're real scientists...



http://dancingphysicist.com/blog/the...a-real-science

[Pedaling Fool]

If the AT route could be transitioned to the BMT for a period of say 4-5 years. This would allow the AT time to heal. After said cool down period, it would be easy to flip flop the official route of the AT from said AT, to BMT alternating years. Giving a 1 year cool down period every 365 days. Otherwise, the same problem is just going to transfer to the BMT route

There is no healing needed.

[Greenlight]

What if... the ATC were to promote and encourage thru-hikers to take the BMT as a legitimate alternate route that "counts" for a thru? Would that eventually end up trashing the Benton too? It's still an intriguing possibility.

Better yet, just hike the BMT instead of the AT through the Smokies. The BMT starts at Fontana Dam and ends at Davenport Gap just like the AT, but it probably gets less than 10% as many hikers as the AT. This option also avoids having to stay at the shelters, and I'd be willing to bet that bears are less of a problem on the BMT as well.

[jbbweeks]

Sorry for the confusion - it was a joke, a little humor offered as an absurdity to show the validity of an opposing view! No offense meant!


Tapatalk

[nsherry61]

Just another reason to skip the GSMNP. It's overused and over regulated and has become a problematic section of the AT. In the best interest of the trail, the ATC should consider relocating the trail somewhere out of the park. The section of the trail through the park has become a rut that needs time to heal and hikers need relief from the stringent regulations.

Wow, so many thoughts and so many thoughtful responses.

1) AT hikers are but a tiny fraction of the users and abusers of GSMNP and it's wildlife.
2) AT hikers, as flawed as they are, are probably many of the more responsible users of the park and viewers of wildlife.
3) If you are hiking along the AT and don't want the GSMNP rut-walking experience, take an alternate route through GSMNP to avoid the rut and the problem animals associated with it.
4) The AT trail scar/rut will not be healed in a few years of rerouting, and other trails may well be significantly deteriorated by the associated increase in traffic if the AT were to be officially routed onto them. So please, keep the mobs on the mob trails and let those of us that want a little less rut have our unrutted alternatives.

Bear problems are a community problem, a community of which we are a part, but really only a small vocal part. Let's keep up our disproportionate influence by continuing to be outspoken on this topic.

[jbbweeks]

Offering alternative routes through the park is an excellent idea and allowing dogs would serve as some deterrent while alerting hikers that a bear is near.


Tapatalk

[grumpy old man]

Maybe some of you follow Highlander 58 on youtube. His latest video details an encounter with 5-6 bears at Lambert Meadow Shelter in VA. He got the whole thing on video. It was the Pearisburg to Daleville part 2 video published on May 9. The bear incident starts around the 8-minute mark

[Pedaling Fool]

As with almost everything else there is no silver bullet here, but I think continued education to the public is needed, since there are a lot of people that seem to want to feed these animals, both intentionally and unintentionally, i.e. bird feeders, trash...

However, a bear hunt in the Park I believe should be also a tool used. If not a bear hunt than some sort of tactics to cause the bears to regain some respect/fear of humans.

[Pedaling Fool]

This is an interesting take on controlling bears http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...e-black-bears/

[WhiteBlaze]

Knoxville News Sentinel

Bear Bites Appalachian Trail Hiker in the Smokies ABC News A hiker says he was bitten by a bear as he slept along the Appalachian Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Park spokeswoman Dana Soehn tells local media that the 49-year-old hiker told authorities in Graham County, North Carolina, he was ... Appalachian Trail hiker attacked by bear in the SmokiesKnoxville News Sentinel Bear bites Appalachian Trail thru-hiker in the SmokiesWBIR.com Hiker attacked by bear on Appalachian TrailWJHL all 23 news articles »

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[egilbe]

This is an interesting take on controlling bears http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...e-black-bears/

Dumb idea. The Bears will become habituated to humans feeding them and lose their fear and respect of humans and become another poor welfare class unable to fend for themselves. We already have generations of people in this country dependent on handouts. We are the only country where poor people are fat.

[RockDoc]

That's not true. Look at Haati, South Africa, many other places. Gary Taubes gives many examples of fat poor cultures in his talks about "why we get fat and what to do about it". Cheap carbs and sugar cause you to get fat, and there's plenty of that around for cheap. But I agree with your point about welfare.

"We are the only country where poor people are fat."

[CoolBobby]

Better yet, just hike the BMT instead of the AT through the Smokies. The BMT starts at Fontana Dam and ends at Davenport Gap just like the AT, but it probably gets less than 10% as many hikers as the AT. This option also avoids having to stay at the shelters, and I'd be willing to bet that bears are less of a problem on the BMT as well.

This is exactly my plan when I hike next year. The GSMNP is my least favorite part of this hike.

[Pedaling Fool]

Dumb idea. The Bears will become habituated to humans feeding them and lose their fear and respect of humans and become another poor welfare class unable to fend for themselves. We already have generations of people in this country dependent on handouts. We are the only country where poor people are fat.

I wasn't necessarily advocating it, but I could see that it MAY be a viable option if done correctly -- It's done with other animals, such as deer.... Although, if I were to do it, I'd do it in a way where the bears would not know humans were providing the food.

But clearly there would be disadvantages if done on too large a scale http://www.maine.gov/ifw/wildlife/sp...ding_deer.html

[Pedaling Fool]

This is exactly my plan when I hike next year. The GSMNP is my least favorite part of this hike.

Something like this could easily happen in other places, like NJ or even SNP, which I believe has more of a problem with bears.

[CoolBobby]

Something like this could easily happen in other places, like NJ or even SNP, which I believe has more of a problem with bears.

I guess I was kind of vague when I wrote that. I will be taking the BMT detour through the park, for many reasons. Being a lifelong hunter and outdoorsman from Maine, its not the bears I fear. Its the people. I do realize that bears are not just in the park, its just the park requires you to sleep in bear fast food locations. I am anti-shelter.

[burger]

I guess I was kind of vague when I wrote that. I will be taking the BMT detour through the park, for many reasons. Being a lifelong hunter and outdoorsman from Maine, its not the bears I fear. Its the people. I do realize that bears are not just in the park, its just the park requires you to sleep in bear fast food locations. I am anti-shelter.

I hope that means that you're going to get the required permits ahead of time and stay in the designated backcountry sites. Any "lifelong hunter and outdoorsman" should know that following the rules is important.