McClure Meadows

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#1

I have been practicing stuffing my bear cannister and it appears that I am a little over for my jaunt between MR and Whitney Portal.

I see there is a ranger station at McClure Meadows. Does the ranger allow you to use his bear locker?

This would allow me to make it there the first night and store my overflow. The only other option is too get the larger Bearikade (expedition) which I would like to avoid just for an extra days of stuff. Of course there is the option of reducing the trip by a day - however all my connections off the trail are now setup and I don’t want to push it any more than I already am on the number of miles per day.

OregonBeerMan

#2

We didn’t ask at McClure, but the next ranger at Leconte Canyon let us use his bear locker. If not, it’s worth pushing miles a little to get higher up that day. Once you’re at Evolution Lake there are fantastic places to camp that are likely to be higher than any bears will be. We camped at the upper reaches of Evolution Lake to be sure.

markv

#3

Last year we stopped and talked with the McClure ranger, George Durkee. He was very pleasant and relaxed. I have no idea how often the rangers rotate to different assignments, but did find an older note in the Rae Lakes area signed by George Durkee. It may not hurt to ask about food storage. Of course then you will have just admitted to a ranger that you are violating the rules about keeping all of your food in a bear cannister…Hmm.

I believe that the rangers also take periodic multi-day hikes around their area to check on things so there may not be a one present when you come by.

Snowball