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[pct-l] "stealth"/Whitney Trail



   *I*'m sorry if I jumped on you, Jeremy, but you not only asked about
the requirement , but the repercussions of disobeying it, and seemed hazy
about the meaning of the word "require" itself:   [ >whats the deal on
these "required" bear cannisters? "required" meaning you get kicked out
if you dont have one, or that you get a pat on the head from the inyo
rangers?<],    so I felt I had to post my usual "Just abide by the
blankety-blank rule!" (even if you "stealth" camp) - that's all.  BTW,
whether fudging-the-rules "works" for somebody is no excuse to follow
their example; most shoplifters, for instance, don't get caught, and it
sure is a time-honored way of not having to pay for a store's
merchandise, but....
    My take on Jardine's Stealth-philosophy is that he says you can 
minimize bear visits by avoiding heavily-used campgrounds, cooking &
camping in different spots, and so on. I think you're right: he does seem
also to advocate ranger-avoidance sometimes (altho he doesn't come right
out and tell his readers to break regulations), which is an attitude of
some older guys who remember when you could hike-without-permits/drink
untreated water/chop branches for big campfires etc, but  sounds kinda
smarmy today... 
    As far as Whitney (and the main part of Yosemite): there are
habituated bears there and no place so "off the beaten track" that you
don't need to be correct in bear/food procedure. Stealth camping is a
good way to minimize bears coming into your camp, but it's not a
substitute for (or "conteract" as you mentioned) the need for the whole
food-storage shebang. The "bear problem" is worsening in the Sierra (and
rules are getting stricter; I dread the day when we have to carry
canisters *everywhere*, augh!), so we have to have to make sure there's
no chance-at-all of a bear's being fed by us. Jardine hasn't backpacked
the Sierra in years,  and he only did the trail a few times; his feats
were extraordinary, but the fact that he says bears didn't get his food
is hardly an absolute guarantee you'll be as lucky in '98, whenever.
   Personally, I always camp away from other people - for aethetic
reasons - and I don't have nearly the bear-hassles I hear others talking
about; *but* I also make 100% sure a bear (should he stumble upon my
"remote" camp) has no access at all to my food, ever...        bj

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