Laces asked me to post this FYI to the class of 2009:
Attention: 2009 thru-hikers - announcing the third season of the PCT Perpetual Bear Canister Loan Program…
2009 PCT thrus - are you on a tight budget or have limited finances, or are you coming from overseas or from an area of the US and won’t have ANY use whatsoever for a bear canister after your PCT thru-hike?
You may be able to borrow a bear canister for your PCT thru-hike for ‘free’ (except return shipping)…
In 2007, 13 bear canisters were available for loan to nobo PCT thrus; in 2008, 20 bear canisters were available and loaned out from the ‘program’ (and an additional 5 through a “one-on-one” or “person-to-person” loan)…
The loan program is currently NOT done on a ‘first come - first served basis’, but rather on a show of ‘some’ need, however small…
If you can afford to purchase a bear canister, BearVault has an excellent buy program (formerly a rental program): a BV500 for $65 including shipping to Kennedy Meadows (or Tuolumne Meadows or Echo Lake) - that’s the lowest price on the internet when shipping is included, plus they send it to you right on the PCT… See http://www.bearvault.com/bearvault_pct.php for full info…
If you think you might qualify for a ‘free’ bear canister loan for your 2009 PCT thru-hike, please contact me off-list via email. My email is alison.scheiderer at gmail dot com, and please briefly explain your reason or need to borrow a bear canister for your PCT thru-hike. I’ll be glad to answer most of your questions regarding the loan program. Please be patient in waiting for a response though. I am on a cycling tour until mid February and only able to check my email every few days on public library computers.
happy trails!
Laces/ Alison Scheiderer
Cuddles