Unbearable
A hot topic on the news and on some of the backpacking discussion boards these days is the interaction between humans and bears. It seems that a lot of people are concerned about running into a bear in the woods...and they seem to base most of their concerns on the recent news stories about bears invading homes, cabins, and the like. So we thought we'd clarify a few things. 1. Wild bears in the woods seem to avoid people with astonishing ease. Over the past three years we've hiked over 500 miles in the Sierra, and seen exactly two bears on the trail. Both immediately moved in the opposite direction when they saw people. And in talking and writing with loads of other backpackers, we hear that same story over and over again. Truly wild bears avoid people. 2. Tame bears are a different story. And this is where it gets interesting...and sad. Because bears that live near people, either in campgrounds or inhabited areas like ski resorts, quickly learn that people have a lot of food. And like most wild animals, easy food is a big attraction. So bears that live near campgrounds or resorts quickly learn to leave the wild food alone, and base their diet on human food. Which is a huge problem. That food is much higher in calories, and so the bears grow bigger, have more cubs, and generally become a much different animal---including one that is not so afraid of humans. And then it gets ugly. Cabins get invaded, bears get shot, and everybody loses. Especially the bears. 3. Some things seem to work to limit the damage. Bear boxes--big sturdy steel ones--protect the bears by making human food inaccessible. And since they have been installed in campgrounds and parks, bear issues have really gone way down. That's a good thing. But how do you to that to a house or cabin? Do we need to enact new building codes that insist on steel doors on all cabins in the woods. That seems excessive, but there doesn't seem to be any easy answer. And nothing seems to protect bears from really stupid people who leave food outside the boxes. 4. We do have one easy answer. If you want to avoid problems with bears in the woods, avoid people. Go where there are few people, and you will find no problems with bears. And there are other benefits as well--like the fishing is better, and the sunsets are quieter...and well, you get the idea. |
If you've read this blog much, you know that we spend a fair amount of time trying to pack light. Lighter packs mean happier hikers in our book, and we definitely enjoy the benefits of leaving heavy items at home. On a recent 8 day trip, our packs weighed a total of about 58 pounds---that's for TWO people. P carried about 35, and M another 23. And the good news is that each day they got even lighter! But we have a bit of an ethical dilemma. We use a very light (3ml) ground cloth under our tent as a vapor barrier. It keeps the tent drier, and also keeps it a lot cleaner. And usually it lasts for a season or so before the holes get large enough that we trade it in on a new one. But that means we throw out the old one---and that isn't exactly sustainable hiking. Leave no trace? Every year we leave a sheet of 3ml plastic in our garbage can at home. And we're not happy about it. SO this year we are looking at a slightly heavier ground cover--one that would last for more than one season. Maybe forever? That would be perfect. But it will weigh a bit more. hmmm. Anyone else fighting these battles out there? |
We've been backpacking for quite a while now, and we have to admit that there has been a general improvement in the quality of freeze dried food over the years. When P first started backpacking in the 1960's, he used to take a lot of pasta and instant rice, and a series of sauce mixes. He'd catch trout every night for dinner, and mix it with the sauce over the pasta. Ever had Trout Stroganoff? Trout Cacciatore? Trout Goulash? Those were the days...or not. But these days you can get some pretty exotic menus right off the freeze dried shelf, from Salmon Diavolo to Katmandu Curry and everything in between. We're not convinced this stuff is great, but it is edible, has some flavor, and seems to contain enough calories to keep us alive. We add a bowl of Miso soup to start, and fill out the menu with some dried fruit, an energy bar or two, and maybe some dark chocolate M&Ms for dessert. That's dinner! And we tend to select these for their calories as much as for their flavor--although we were very happily surprised by a recent Biscuits and Gravy meal that had well over 400 calories per serving and tasted...pretty darn good. But a few months ago we bought a food dehydrator. We didn't really know how it would work, or how well, but we'd thought we'd give it a try. And the first thing we dehydrated was a burrito from our favorite local taqueria. We sliced it thin, laid it out on the trays, and left it overnight. Unfortunately, we didn't take the trouble to weight the thing beforehand, so when it was dry, we didn't have a good idea of how much water to add later. But that didn't stop us. We took it along on our last trip and were just a little hestitant about how well it was going to work. When we found a lake with fish, we decided to try the burrito--that way, if it didn't work, we had a backup plan. We boiled the water, tossed in the shredded burrito, and let it sit. Fifteen minutes later, we opened up the pot and started eating. Ay chihuahua! This was the best meal we ever had backpacking! Wow ! Rich, flavorful, and yummy! The tortilla had turned into a kind of pasta, but the rest of the thing was pretty much as it had been made by Tania's Taqueria. It was delicious. So now we're hooked. We're trying all sorts of things, and not all of them work. But we've started to look forward to dinner on our trips in a whole new way. And that's a good thing! |
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