Hang your food! That includes gum, vitamins, anything that has a food smell! Over the years the problems we have had have been mice, raccoons and skunks. Up north it was the porcupine eating anythng with salt, including boots.
We saw the most bear activity in NJ. Even saw a bear catch a deer and kill it (PigChicken got it on film).
There are 1,800 bears in the Smokies, enough said. We’ve hiked and camped in the Smokies many times and have had bear in camp all night. No dinner and no breakfast until we are up the trail. They are removing the fence wire from the Smokies shelters. The last time I was thru they had removed at least 3 of the fences. During the summer time the bears are active as Michele said in the early morning and late evening. The rangers really make an effort to control problem bears in the Smokies.
We just missed two bears in VA near the Old Orchard shelter before Troutdale last June. Two hikers going south said they came upon two different bears on the trail about a mile apart and both of them ran as soon as they smelled the hikers.
We hiked GA in July in 2000 before our thru hike in '02 and saw three bear before the Hawk Mt. Shelter. All of them ran.
Over the last 30 years we have had many bear encounters, but no lost food or equipment. I can’t say the same about mice and raccoons. I’ve had raccoons chew holes in my tent before. Mice and raccoons both have chewed holes in our packs looking for something. I’ve hung up socks to dry in the shelter and the next morning mice have chewed holes in them and made a nest of the wool and had a litter of young. But no bear problems.
Just hang your food and make sure you have nothing in your tent and your pack is clean of crumbs or food.
I don’t know of anyone that has had to use the pepper spray on the AT. The spray canisters usually end up in a hiker box at a hostel.
Have a good hike and don’t worry about the bears.
Papa Smurf