Bear canister - Pacific Crest Trail

imported
#1

Hello !

I will pick my bear canister at KM and I wonder if I have to put all my food in it from KM to the entrance of Sequoia NP (mile 753) or not ?
Because I will need to carry 8 days of food but my canister will be big enough for only 6 !

Elodie

#2

Congrats on being legal and carrying the can. I only ever had one ranger ask me, in Yosemite if I had one, but this sorry sob would have ticketed me for sure if I didn’t.

You do not need to put your food in the can until you get to the Seqouia boundary. I shared a mini bear vault with my hiking partner for the whole 206 mile stretch from K Meadows to Mammoth. Do you think we could fit more then two days a piece in there? Our plan was to always say that we were going out the next pass, and just came in the previous one if any over zealous rangers invaded our privacy. With a small pack you don’t look like you have 10 days of food crammed in there.

Guino

#3

Guino’s right that you’re fine until the Sequoia boundary. There have been so many gazillion incidents of bears harassing backpackers for food north of that boundary that i wouldn’t mess around with anything other than getting all your food into your canister. Not to start a big fight, but the rangers are doing what they’re doing for a very good reason. It’s the only 200 miles on the whole trail you have to worry about canisters. It’s not an invasion of privacy…just an attempt at keeping the bears from going bonkers on every camper they see. :cheers

markv

#4

Don’t know if it’s legally req’d in King’s Canyon NP, but I was glad I used one there. Some bear was playing soccer with mine in the middle of the night. Also, we saw a bear our first day out of KM without an “incident”. My advice, use the can for 6 days of food and wing it for the other 2.

bowlegs

#5

Whatever you decide on don’t hang a bear bag in a tree. That is illegal pretty much everywhere in the Sierra and is fairly irresponsible, since most people won’t hang it in such a way to deter bears from getting the food.

Oh and MarkV sorry for disagreeing with you, but I really appreciate the 4th amendment. I think protecting our rights is more important then compliance with invasive federal law enforcement. I do believe it is very important to protect the bears, but education is better then illegal searches. Carry the can, but refuse to answer the rangers question of whether or not you are actually carrying it. They really do need to realize that in a free society, law enforcements role is to protect our rights, not to try to use logical arguments as reasons as to why we should give up our basic liberties, like those guaranteed by the 4th amendment.

Happy Trails!

Guino

#6

What good is education in this case when you clearly have it but are opting not to use it? You don’t think the law applies to you because A) it’s inconvenient and B) you don’t like authority. When you grow up and recognize that laws are imperfect but necessary and are an integral part of maintaining a free society, you might learn to soften your ego stance a bit, which is mostly what your 4th Amendment arguments are all about - protecting your own ego. The rangers do what they do for the greater good, as an enforceable if imperfect way of protecting the bears from people who don’t know any better. You can’t reach everyone through education; there has to be an enforcement component. If you don’t like the thought of running into a ranger, please consider leaving the trail and hiking cross country. If you do run into a ranger on the trails, treat him or her like the human being they are, rather than a stereotype in some narrow world vision of right vs wrong. Change your attitude, change your life, as they say.

__

#7

Whether you decide to carry or not is your business but here is where canisters are required at this time, and things are changing. http://sierrawild.gov/bears/food-storage-map. Now, the southern most area prior to Sequoia can easily be avoided. The areas in Sequoia, like around Rae Lakes show as requiring canisters but you can alternately use bear boxes per the Backcountry and Head Park Ranger. All areas not shown in purple allow food to be hung. So you could technically pick up your canister at VVR or MTR if those are used as resupply. Those are the rule, apply them as you see fit.

gg-man

#8

I’ve never been much into laws for the sake of laws. Common sense tells me that bears are getting into the habit of eating camper food, and this is going to get worse and more dangerous for both people and bears. Common sense tells me that canisters work and if everyone used one, in a couple generations the problem would go away. Common sense tells me that rangers want to make sure you have a canister, so they knock on your pack and ask if you have one.

I’m not saying your common sense is the same as mine. Just get to know the situation well, know the law well, and make a good decision. :cheers

markv

#9

Didn’t want to hate on the rangers there, I know there just doing there jobs. Bear Cans are a good idea there just heavy. If you read a certain really popular guidebook, you can see some more famous hikers opinions on these. I emailed Yosemite about two years ago and am still awaiting a reply concerning these rules. They have an online book of their laws thats around 75 pages long, yeah I read them. In the rule book, it states that you must secure all your food in a bear proof container, unless it is within arms reach. That’s it. It doesn’t go in to detail about whether your asleep or awake. In your tent the food is within arms reach. I can’t see a breach in the law in Yosemite, if it’s in your tent. The ultimate consequence would be realized upon you though if a bear disagreed with these rules. Another interesting thing that the Yosemite law book clearly states is that hitch-hiking is legal in Yosemite, as long as you hitch in an area where a car can safely pull off the highway, and it is not on a bridge.
Have fun and feel no worries in the Sierra. Nature is a safe place.

Guino