[pct-l] Long live the Canister!!

[reynolds@iLAN.com (Reynolds, WT)]

In 1986 my original, hand made Dur-Ty business canister rolled down the hill
from the bear boxs about 200' above Franklin Lake [Mineral King], hit a rock
and bounced 25 feet in the air. It looked like the canister was headed down
200' into the lake. I screemed "Lord Help!". The canister curved in the air
and struck the ONLY tree on the slope, firmly wedgeing itself against the
tree where I could retrieve it without difficulty.

Now you know why I believe in bear canisters [and God]! The canister was NOT
scratched. I still have it.

In 1998 my son dropped a partially loaded Gia Bear Can [aluminum] Extended
on a rock from about 4 feet. The end collapsed because a rivet broke.
However the food was still not accessable. Now you know why i no longer use
an aluminum canister.

-----Original Message-----
From: AsABat [mailto:wjj2001@yahoo.com]
Sent: Saturday, August 11, 2001 10:08 AM
To: pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Long live the Canister!!


At the ranger station in Lone Pine last week I talked to a hiker who was at
Dollar Lake on San Gorgonio a couple weeks before. He said he saw a bear
roll somebody else's bear canister down a hill where it broke open on the
rocks. He also said he later heard that the lid was NOT closed properly and
therefore fell off when hit the bottom.

Interesting that I've heard several similar stories, but never from the
person it actually happened to.

Last year a story at Kearsarge Pass was that bears were sitting on the
canisters to break them open. This story was always third or fourth hand
too.

I've never seen a bear pick up a canister. They swat at them and push them
around, but there's nothing for them to grab. This is why you are NOT
supposed to leave them in a stuff sack or webbing, and NOT tie them to or
hang them from a tree.

AsABat


_________________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

_______________________________________________
PCT-L mailing list
PCT-L@mailman.backcountry.net
http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l