Porbably overly concerned about Bears...

[SOLcreature]

Hello everyone! This is my first big hike and I am just going to be honest, my only true fear, is running into a hungry black bear. I have 2 herniated discs in my lower back (yes I know the risks of backpacking with them) so fighting one off is unlikely and I don't want to A. Be mauled or B. Have my food stolen. I am not entirely thru hiking but I am beginning on May 4th with a goal of reaching midway NY by end of the summer, and I am hiking alone. I am really trying to focus on being as light as possible so I really do not want to carry a Bear Container but I am looking now at the Garcia: http://www.backcountrygear.com/backp...FQ6ynQodyEoA7w because I would rather have the peace-of-mind when sleeping in a hammock. This will also be my first hammock trip so I am a bit concerned about the thought of looking like a hanging food bag! And the more I am reading I am finding that everyone is recommending sleeping with their food because more and more bear are figuring out the hanging method, and making off with food bags. I was raised outdoors, and know how to leave no trace, but I was raised in an area with no black bear. Since I am going through the area I keep hearing the most about bear activity (GA/NC) I am starting to get more concerned. So I guess, are my fears legitimate, and is it really necessary to carry one of these big bear canisters to be safer? Anyone encountered a bear while hammocking?

[Razor]

Sleeping with food is both dangerous for you and the bear. Although you will hear some on this blog advocate it ,all bear researchers and experts say no to sleeping with you food. Learn to hang your food and practice it before going. In areas where bears are active ( ie Georgia-- the shelter areas have food cables ) use them. In early spring bears will be searching for easy food . They are basically nocturnal -occasionally seen in daytime . There is no need to fear but do respect the animal. Read and get more knowledge to get better perspective .There is no record of a bear in the eastern us ever pursuing a sleeping person who did not have food or smellables with them and they certainly will not approach you in the AM. Help the bears and don't temp them to approach you in the Pm and go out and enjoy your trip.

[zukiguy]

Sleep with your food, NEVER!! That's like tying a steak around your neck and hopping over a junkyard fence. No, you don't need a canister to be safe. The bear cables at the shelters work just fine if used correctly. Yes, some bears are getting smarter but what is happening is that some bear cables have clips while others only have hooks. The bears have figured out how to climb the tree and slap at the cables to bounce the bags off the hooks. So long as you have it clipped on there's really no worry. If the cables have no hooks, just use a good carabiner. I prefer to hang my own separate bear bag if there are suitable trees available. I had some hiking companions lose some food near a shelter this way in GSMNP last years. The bear took their bags off the line in the middle of the night during a storm. The hikers heard the noise but thought it was the wind whipping the cables. Not so much.

Several shelters have been closed due to "aggressive bear activity" in the park. This is almost entirely due to lazy or ignorant through and day hikers leaving food out within easy reach or sometimes even intentionally feeding the bears. Don't ruin the trail for everyone else. Practice leave no trace, hang your food away from the shelters and cook away from the shelters if possible. Sleeping with your food is just inviting the bears to consider you a "bear pinata" or a "hanging burrito".

[BobTheBuilder]

No probably about it, you are definitely overly concerned. In about 750 miles of the AT, I have encountered a bear 8 separate times, although 5 of those were in GSMNP. It can be unnerving, but I have never had one do anything except turn around and leave when it saw me.

[Luddite]

IF you do see a bear most likely it'll be running from you, not at you. Your fears are not legitimate. You'll be lucky to see a bear, it's pretty amazing seeing a bear in the wild.