Re: [pct-l] Bear Reinforcement

[reynolds@ilan.com]

Sly,

You are correct. I don't think like a thru hiker. I carry heavy loads and I
don't go far. However, don't think I don't understand thruhiker mentality.
That's what Jim Owens accused me of last year. Jim was correct!  However,
since then I've paid the price. I understand even if I don't partake.

What I am saying is that thruhikers need to think differently when
traversing the Sierra. It ain't very far from Kennedy Meadows to past
Tahoe. Lots of people walk that far carrying heavy loads thinking just like
me. Some thruhikers carry a bear canister through the Sierra without
difficulty. Others carefully plan their stops to take full advantage of
bear boxs, know what areas to avoid and hang their food expertly. On the
other hand, some hikers out for a weekender carry 70 pounds and still store
food in tents. [PS, my wife son and I

What I am thinking like is a citizen of California who is trying to protect
backpackers, the vast majority of which are not thruhikers, from having
their tent crashed by a bear because that bear finally learned that there
was food in those tents and humans weren't much of a threat.

I might add that the thruhiker who was stalked by a bear and cub reported
that every other bear she saw either ran or she chased the bear off. MOST
bears avoid humans. It used to be ALL bears, now its only MOST. Soon it
will be SOME.

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