Hello,
I have only ever hiked in northern Ontario, where I hang my food each night so the bears won’t find a tasty treat.
How do people store food on the AT? Are there bears on the north section (in Maine for example?)
In the southern parts do you keep your food in your tent?
Thanks!
Dreamer
Yes there are bears in the south and north! Many people have their preference of what to do with their food.
I hang mine for peace of mind, knowing that my chances of having my tented shredded open by a bear is lessened by hanging it.
You should hang food in Smokies and Shennandoah. Watch out in NJ too. There they have bear boxes.
I sleep better knowing all my smelly items are not next to me at night.
There is also the rumor that bears will not approach a shelter or campsite if there are 5 or more people because of the human scent? This has proved true, but it also hasn’t.
When alone, I hang, again just to be safe and again to have peace of mind.
And hey, I never saw a bear the entire trip!!!
Blip
Well, maybe you never saw a bear, I saw them in several states. (Didn’t see a moose while thru-hiking however).
When in bear country, always hang your food, or put it in a bear box if there is one. How do you know when you are in bear country? First, look for the bear cable or bear box. Read the shelter register.
Elsewhere, there are still critters around, like mice, so it pays to hang your food there also. The mice hangers in most shelters work just fine most of the time.
Some people boast about keeping food in their tent at night. However, for peace of mind, it’s certainly not recommended. And I would not count on smelly hiker scent keeping critters and bears away.
Peaks
Hang it high in Pa too !!! we had a black bear come into the
camp by the leroy smith shelter in the windgap section of pa. mainly due to the boyscouts who dripped food on the ground. I think they learned thier lesson though from the
screaming i heard.
crazypace
I was just writing about my own bear experience at trailjournals.
Yeah, no food in the tent for me. I intend on being thoroughly proficient in bear-bagging for this hike.
Whoa
obviously some people don’t like bears for the same reason people don’t like people -they’re scared, but they still tell stories to shock others and gain attention. These people should be ignored at all costs to not rienforce their behavior.
Tha Wookie
Sometimes Fear obliteates common sense. To ascribe actions that one has experienced in the past to the color of an attacker shows a blindness that will handicap and maim an individual and cause a paralization of the spirit. It my have been the experience of Vonbluvens that he has been attacked. No doubt, if he keeps voicing a racist agenda hemay be attacked again and the color of the person attacking may be different from his previous attacker. Fear is apparently a recognizable trait. It dumbs down the senses and takes the brake off the judgement neurons. Combine fear with beer (or any alcohol) and anything can happen. People are people and the color of the person’s skin is not something we can choose. The movie South Pacific had a song which described prejudice and hate as something that "has to be taught"when a child is young. Naturally children accept each other and value what is inside.
Bears have varying moods depending on their hunger and their experience. If they recognize the aroma of food, glorious food, and know how to get it then we can predict that they will make every effort to get the food they crave.
But there are times when bears have eaten or have had a bad experience around humans and therefore shy away from “easy pickings.”
There is a lot of fear out on the trail. Some fear the wild animals and some fear people because of their color. What is needed is respect for the wild things and for each human person that one encounters in life.
Skylander
Those are the best words I’ve read today. Thanks for writing them.
I hope to be meeting you - in around one month’s time. (Exciting times, eh?)
Whoa
I know Bilko,some people live a lifetime and never get a clue.Back to Dreamers question about sleeping with your food.I never do it,of couse that’s only my opinion.However,there is some person I would like to see try it.
Bill Harris
You said:
“obviously some people don’t like bears for the same reason people don’t like people -they’re scared, but they still tell stories to shock others and gain attention. These people should be ignored at all costs to not rienforce their behavior.”
If you were writing this about my journal entry, then I believe you didn’t read the entire thing. Yes, I relayed some details about a harrowing experience, but it is in the context of preparations (emotional and physical) I’m making for this year’s hike of the AT - and about how I believe it is incorrect to allow fear to gain a foothold in one’s psyche. I will not let my experiences make me live in fear. Fear is a diminisher, and serves to detract from the joy one might otherwise experience.
I respect bears, and am glad to share the woodlands with them. I will keep my food out of my tent, and that will be my concession to caution. I will not bring bear mace, and I will not be afraid of any encounters with this animal who I feel is admirable and remarkable.
If I misconstrued the context of your comment, then please forgive these unneccessary words.
Whoa
It’s OK. I was refering to another post that has been removed from this thread by the administrators, obviously before you saw my comments or it would have been clear.
I never read your journal, but can tell by your comments that you are braver than I. Bears scare the shi*t out of me to be honest with you, but I’m not afraid of them either.
Since you mentioned it, I do agree with the power of fear. In fact, most people live in fear, or as Thoreau said, “quiet lives of desperation” that effectively set themselves apart from their natural roles. Such fear is rampant in today’s world, and is used as a tool of control by businesses, governments, and gear companies. Identifying that source of control is the first step in dropping the chains. thanks for bringing it up.
Tha Wookie