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[pct-l] Re: Corn Pasta, bears and stuff

>>HOME MADE BACKPACK. Several hikers were fairly miserable with theirs until
>>they switched.

>I am experimenting with building my own external frame to come in at about
>one pound (with shoulder straps AND hip belt).  What were the main problems
>with the homebuilts?

The problems I saw were these: 1) The  homemade straps tended to bunch up
and cut off circulation. 2) The lack of a hip belt prevented shifting the
load. 3) The center of gravity was too low causing an unnatural forward
lean to compensate. 4) Stuff uncomfortably poking in the back Perhaps you
will avoid these problems with a frame but I was talking about the Ray
method which is basically a bag with shoulder straps.

>>TARP: I think a tarp is a great idea up until Kennedy Meadows. A tent will
>>make all the difference with the mosquitos encountered from then on. One
>>that is mostly netting is ideal.

>North or south of Kennedy Meadows has mosquitos?

North of Kennedy Meadows. There is very little water south, ergo few bugs.
On a north bound through hike you will hit the Sierras at high mosquito
season due to the extremely wet and boggy conditions that you will
encounter below the snow line. The absolute worst of it, for me at least,
was in the Yosemite portion after Tuolumne Meadow in the so called Deep
Canyons. Have a headnet, tent, and 100% Deet through these sections if you
expect to keep your sanity. I would go so far as to recommend lightweight
long sleeves and pants through there.

>   Hi! Was following the "corn pasta" thread & noticed the statement
>"you'll find big holes full of it" [along the trail]. Honest, I realize
>the point was to emphasize how unpalatable some folks find c.p., but I
>thought this might be a good time to remind everybody about bears.
>clip< Pack it in, pack it _all_ out, right? Protect animals from your food
>24 hours a
>day, no matter how inconvenient it seems sometimes.

I buried no corn pasta personally and you are right, animals will find, dig
up and eat WHATEVER you bury and this includes the contents of catholes,
however unpalatable that may sound. Nobody is suggesting you pack that out,
so the point I make is that it's impossible to have zero impact no matter
how hard you try unless you stay home. Being environmentally conscientious
and using good trail etiquette DOES go a long way however to minimize your
impact however.

On the subject of bears I thought I would open another can of worms. The
following statement goes against common practice and is even against the
law in certain sections. However, I never bear bagged my food. I used the
bear boxes when convenient but for the most part I just put the food in my
tent. Some will say that this was extremely stupid or incredibly lucky but
the only food I remember hearing about getting eaten by a bear was after it
was hung up. To me this is like advertising to the bear. My food was bland
vegetarian stuff and wouldn't attract bears like a car camper BBQ would.
Accordingly, avoiding popular picnic areas for camping was something I did
do. I heard that "marking your territory" was a fairly good deterrent so I
usually peed on a nearby rock. Cooking and camping in different spots is a
method I rarely practiced. Other through hikers, for the most part I think,
ended up doing the same thing.

					Andyman


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