Well, after watching the movie documentary "Grizzly Man" that Carolyn brought home from the library and careful consideration of whether a neon green spandex suit might attract bears like a neon green flatfish lure attracts salmon, I decided to buy bear spray and a holster for it at REI ($49.95 + $13.95). I may yet decide to return it to REI (ie Return Every Item) because I don't want to be standing there in front trying to protect the group from a charging bear alone (even if Josh is standing next to me with his bowie knife).
Is anyone else thinking about bear spray? Maybe we don't need it.
In any case the bear protection information recommends cooking and hanging food, scented items and cooking utensils at least 100 yds away from where you sleep for he night. They also recommend avoiding established campsites where bears and other animals become accustomed to finding food.
Some of the established sites on the WCT have locker boxers to keep animals out of food supplies. Others require hanging. What is our plan?
I have two bear cannisters if someone wants to borrow one for the trip. I plan to hang my items.
Rob
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3 comments:
I will definitely be hanging my food. How many d do you think we'll need for the group? 3 or 4?
As for bear spray - if a bear is intent on attacking us - well, I don't honestly believe that spray will make a difference. Also, I would most likely forgot I had it in the heat of the moment. Fortunately, I carry my bowie knife between my teeth, so that I can never forget it.
That Grizzly Man guy was a nut.
I think vargo and I have a pretty good bag-hanging option ready to go, so we will not need the canister. 100 yards, eh? Quite the schlep.
I have thought about bear spray and think that it would be useful if needed, but at $50.00 I'm not likely to buy it. I am hoping that with 8 of us stinking up the joint and thundering through the brush, the bears will be wary enough to stay away even if they can't see the green suit or the glint of the bowie knife.
Wild cats scare me more than bears. What do we do with those?
Here's another recommendation -
The bear containers vary a little in size, but generally are a little over a foot long, maybe 10" in diameter. Protocol for camping in treeless bear country varies depending on who you talk to. Generally, I eat and cook, etc, a good 100 yards from camp, and then store food, scented items, etc, approx. 100 yards away again. Both those places should be downwind from camp.
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