Low Gap to Standing Indian- Bear activity, shelter conditions, and water.

[DubNole]

So, I will be doing a hike roughly from around Low Gap to Standing Indian Shelter.

How has the bear activity been around this section? Anyone know? Bear canister needed or preferred?

Anything we need to know about any of the shelters throughout this section? Should we plan on packing a tent?

How is the water supply?

[map man]

Low Gap Shelter has the reputation for getting bear visits (there are two bear cables there).

You should always pack some kind of shelter be it tent, tarp, bivy, tarp over a hammock, etc., etc.

[daddytwosticks]

No bear cables at Muskrat Creek or Standing Indian shelters. Good water (creek) at Standing Indian shelter. Don't know how water is at the other areas but I do know I've never seen the water supply go dry at Plumborchard Gap shelter, even in the drought of '08.

[jburgasser]

Pack a bag and cord to hang your food. Most but not all the shelters have cables. Bears won't mess with you at night if you don't have any food, flavoered liquids, crumbs, trash, food wrappers, toothpaste, camp soap, moist towellets, sunscreen, or bugspray in your tent/hammock/shelter. That is my experience anyway. I'm sure someone will be tempted to post their story about how they had none of the above items in their immediate vicinity and were still woken up at night by the furry nuzzles of Yogi and Boo Boo. I was just up that way this May and heard something stomping around the woods at our campsite (not a shelter site) but when I unzipped my tent I heard it run away. So whatever it was, it was aware of me and and hightailed it out of there! The couple times I have been in that area I have never seen a bear.
You need to pack a tent in case the shelter you stop at is full.