PCT Community Bear Canister Loan Program - 2015
Apologies for the late announcement this year, but alternate arrangements had to be made since Tom
Figueroa in Kennedy Meadows could no longer store & distribute the canisters. “Thank you”, Tom, for your
help with the loan program the last two years - and also to the Saufley’s in Agua Dulce for the initial six
years and getting the loan program started and keeping it going. New for 2015, the canisters will now be
stored and distributed at Grumpy Bear’s Retreat in the Kennedy Meadows area (PCT mile ~702), thanks
to Scott Foster of Grumpy Bear’s…
Attention: 2015 nobo PCT thru-hikers…
Announcing the ninth year of the PCT Community Bear Canister Loan Program.
Are you coming from outside the USA or from an area of the country in which you won’t have ANY use
whatsoever for a bear canister after your PCT thru-hike? …or are you on a very tight budget having limited
finances ? …or are you hiking to raise funds for a worthwhile cause?
If so, you may be able to borrow a bear canister for your PCT thruhike for ‘free’ - except for USPS Priority
mailing cost to return the canister to the loan program.
The bear canister loan program is NOT necessarily done on a ‘first come - first served’ basis, but rather on a
show of ‘some’ need , however small, in the borrower selection process…
The loan program is run solely on the HONOR SYSTEM - so please be honest, open, and thorough
supplying the requested information below when submitting your loan request (requests remain confidential).
Sorry, but the loan program is not set up to serve sobo thrus nor JMT hikers - we do NOT ship the canisters
to thrus on the trail, canisters must be picked up and signed out in person… Long distance PCT section hikers
(500+ miles) will also be considered, but primary focus is on thruhikers…
If you think you might qualify for a bear canister loan for your 2015 nobo PCT thru-hike, please contact me
off-list via email - explain your reason or need to borrow a bear canister for your hike, plus, in order to save
time due to the late posting, please also provide an active (during & after your hike) email address if other
than the address used for your loan request, your anticipated PCT start date (& location if not from Campo),
your intended PCT destination if not Canada, your ‘planned’ date of arrival at Kennedy Meadows (PCT mile
~702; a conservative best guess is okay), and also your Sierra food ‘plan’ of either a) going straight through
the Sierra or b) resupplying part way through. Selected borrowers must agree to an informal ‘contract’ via email
reply before a canister is reserved in your name and the loan is ‘finalized’.
Please do not delay until the last moment to request a canister; we would like to arrange and finalize all canister
loans by mid April at the latest, if possible.
Thank you.
Happy trails!!!
Jim “PITA” Payne
(email: enyapjr@comcast.net; subject: PCT Bear Can Loan)
Jim (PITA)