Well the Three Bears could have kept Goldilocks out of their porridge by locking the door to their house. I want to keep the Three Bears and their furry woodland friends out of my oatmeal and ramen noodles. Since I throw like a girl (or worse) I have been practicing bear bagging at home. We have the perfect tree in the front yard so I am sure it has been entertaining for my neighbors. On my training hikes I have been looking at trees for hanging in the woods on local trails and rarely find one tree that would allow the 6’ by 12’ criteria for a proper PCT hang. Researching it sounds like hikers spend 15+ minutes finding an appropriate tree and getting their bag hung every night and very few carry a bear can.
I think I have resigned myself to carrying a bear cannister. For the 2# penalty it just seems like it removes a high stress task of hanging a bag on a daily basis and lets me sleep worry free. That said, I don’t see many other AT hikers carrying cans. Am I crazy or do I just need to go see a baseball coach?