[at-l] bear feeding - was Cost of a thru-hike?

[spiriteagle99 at hotmail.com (Jim and/or Ginny Owen)]

Charles wrote:
>I have an on-topic question:  I'm hiking this weekend on the AT and was 
>telling the adults that they need to bear bag their food.  One of the 
>adults looked at me and laughed and said we're camping too high - that the 
>bears won't climb up to where we are camping.  We are going to Siler Bald 
>to camp.  We usually go in Winter but decided to see what it looks like in 
>the summer.  Its 5200+ ft high.
>
>However, that seems really silly - like the bear really cares how high up 
>he has to go to get food!


Charles -
Tell the guy I said he needs to get educated about bears.  I should know -  
I are one.  <G>

If this were mid-winter he might have a point - the bears wouldn't be on the 
ridge because there'd be  no food up there for them. They'd either be 
hibernating (sorta) or they'd be looking for food on the lower slopes - or 
from his trash can.   But it's not mid-winter - it's mid-summer.  And guess 
where the bears are - all over that ridge.   Fact is that the AT (with its 
attendant shelters) is on top of the ridge.  Does he have any idea why the 
shelters in the Smokies have had chain link fencing across the front for all 
these years?   It sure wasn't to keep the mice under control.

Frankly, if he gave me any lip about it, I'd leave him home.  With that 
attitude, he's a danger to the group.  I think it was grey owl who recently 
said: Stupidity kills.    He was right.  But it doesn't always kill the 
stupid one.

Walk softly,
Jim

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