Food handling in Panther Gorge

[deanmacg]

Bear can, hang it or use as a pillow? What's the preferred method?

 

[Aviarome]

Well, you definitely can't use it as a pillow, as you're suppose to place the canister a number of feet away. Bears can still smell the contents in the bear canisters and will be curious about it. They just won't be able to get into it - or at least they're not suppose to be able to get into it.

 

[deanmacg]

This is not my first hike. Just checking on the bear situation in the area as opposed to the Flowed Lands corrider for example. Just kidding about the pillow - I prefer a nice soft one made up of clothes. I just don't want to bring in my can unless it's neccessary. Trying keep it real light. Thanks.

 

[Aviarome]

Whoops, I misunderstood. Technically Panther Gorge is still a part of the Eastern High Peaks so a bear can is required. But, I never had a problem at Panther Gorge even before bear cans were required.

 

[deanmacg]

That's the answer I was looking for, thanks.

 

[Jay H]

Wouldn't using a bear canister as a pillow be really hard?

Jay

 

[deanmacg]

I'm planning on roughing it

 

[bridgeman]

I know this has been discussed before although I don't remember the outcome of the discussion, what is the status of using the ursack in the adirondacks. I would be willing to trade in my bear can for a lighter, collapsable option.

 

[Little Rickie]

I know this has been discussed before although I don't remember the outcome of the discussion, what is the status of using the ursack in the adirondacks. I would be willing to trade in my bear can for a lighter, collapsable option.

I don't think they are allowed in the Eastern HP, other than that if a bear got a hold of the bag your food would get mashed up. I can't imagine what bear slime is like.

 

[deanmacg]

Pulverized food mixed with bear saliva. Yum! Shall we call it Adirondack Sliders?

 

[DSettahr]

Whoops, I misunderstood. Technically Panther Gorge is still a part of the Eastern High Peaks so a bear can is required. But, I never had a problem at Panther Gorge even before bear cans were required.

Yep. Even though the camping activity is significantly less in Panther Gorge, and therefore, the bear activity isn't as aggressive, it's still part of the Eastern High Peaks and so bear canisters are required for overnight campers between April 1 and November 30.

The Eastern High Peaks is basically everything between the Great Range and Street and Nye mountains, encompassing the area around Marcy and Algonquin Mountains, so if you're camped at or near Indian Pass, Marcy Dam, Avalanche Pass, Lake Colden, Flowed Lands, the John's Brook Valley, or Panther Gorge, you must follow this regulation.

Bear canisters are not required for the Western High Peaks (the Seward and Santanoni Ranges), the Giant Mountain Wilderness, or the Dix Mountain Wilderness. You also don't need them if you're camping while climbing Whiteface and Esther.

At this time, the Ursack Bags have not been approved for use in the High Peaks. If I remember correctly, the DEC is concerned that during tests, bears were able to rip the Ursack fabric, even though in the end they were unable to obtain any food.

Note also that there is one bear in the High Peaks that has figured out how to open the BearVault canisters (these are the clear ones that look like big mayonnaise jars). Because of this, I had no problems exchanging my BearVault at an EMS local to New York for store credit, which I used on the more secure Backpacker's Cache canister (the black ones).

There is another company, Bare Boxer, which makes a smaller canister that is designed for one person to hold one weekends worth of food. There are also plenty of places in Keene and the Lake Placid/Saranac Lake area that rent canisters for a weekend. Additionally, the caretakers at the Interior Outposts (Marcy Dam, Lake Colden, and Johns Brook) have canisters to lend out to those who either didn't realize the rule was in effect, or decided to ignore it.

 

[deanmacg]

Panther gorge was hopping with activity Friday. 5 groups and one can. No bears.

 

[bignslow]

Bear can, hang it or use as a pillow? What's the preferred method?

Whoops, I misunderstood. Technically Panther Gorge is still a part of the Eastern High Peaks so a bear can is required. But, I never had a problem at Panther Gorge even before bear cans were required.

That's the answer I was looking for, thanks.

Panther gorge was hopping with activity Friday. 5 groups and one can. No bears.

So I'm curious, what was your intention here?

The fact is, Panther Gorge is in the Eastern High Peaks. The Wilderness regulations state that you need to have a bear canister when camping in that particular area.

You ask the question on the bear situation, another member informs you that bear canisters are required for the location you are traveling to. You then proceed to say 4 out of 5 groups were ignoring the rules (I don't know if you were the 1/5 following the rules, but based on your previous statements in the thread, it seems doubtful).

VFTT is a very public hiking bulletin board. Lots of people come to the boards for advice on their trips to the Adirondacks and the High Peaks. For someone to come and look for ways to circumvent the rules and then brag about the number of people ignoring the rules is not only very counter-productive but also somewhat dangerous.

If you do not think that the bear situation in Panther Gorge warrants the use of bear canisters than that is an issue that should be taken to the DEC. Simply suggesting that bears are not a problem and the regulations do not need to be followed in a particular area is not helpful.

 

[deanmacg]

So I'm curious, what was your intention here?

The fact is, Panther Gorge is in the Eastern High Peaks. The Wilderness regulations state that you need to have a bear canister when camping in that particular area.

You ask the question on the bear situation, another member informs you that bear canisters are required for the location you are traveling to. You then proceed to say 4 out of 5 groups were ignoring the rules (I don't know if you were the 1/5 following the rules, but based on your previous statements in the thread, it seems doubtful).

VFTT is a very public hiking bulletin board. Lots of people come to the boards for advice on their trips to the Adirondacks and the High Peaks. For someone to come and look for ways to circumvent the rules and then brag about the number of people ignoring the rules is not only very counter-productive but also somewhat dangerous.

If you do not think that the bear situation in Panther Gorge warrants the use of bear canisters than that is an issue that should be taken to the DEC. Simply suggesting that bears are not a problem and the regulations do not need to be followed in a particular area is not helpful.

I'm not bragging, just stating the facts. I could have mentioned that when I arrived there were 2 tents in the lean-to and it took some convincing on my part to have them removed so others could use it. (I had a tent) My intention's? I just wanted to know if bear cans were required and in retrospect I should have looked it up myself instead of asking you folks.
pics of trip and tents in lean-to: http://picasaweb.google.com/edgeworker16/PantherGorge#

 

[DSettahr]

VFTT is a very public hiking bulletin board. Lots of people come to the boards for advice on their trips to the Adirondacks and the High Peaks. For someone to come and look for ways to circumvent the rules and then brag about the number of people ignoring the rules is not only very counter-productive but also somewhat dangerous.

It's so well known, even backcountry law enforcement folks browse it! Mentioning (or even implying) that you are planning on circumventing or breaking backcountry regulations in advance on this forum (or any of the other well known ones) can be an excellent way to have a forest ranger out there looking for you during your trip.

 

[deanmacg]

Good. Maybe they will step up enforcement in this area seeing it's a problem.

 

[bignslow]

I'm not bragging, just stating the facts. I could have mentioned that when I arrived there were 2 tents in the lean-to and it took some convincing on my part to have them removed so others could use it. (I had a tent) My intention's? I just wanted to know if bear cans were required and in retrospect I should have looked it up myself instead of asking you folks.
pics of trip and tents in lean-to: http://picasaweb.google.com/edgeworker16/PantherGorge#

Let me ask you another question to clarify why this situation bothers me:

If someone posted up a thread asking about setting up tents in leantos, another poster replies and says it is unacceptable. If that person then went out, set up the tent in the leanto anyway and then posted on the forum: "Hey, I set up my tent in the leanto and nothing bad happened" wouldn't you be annoyed? What about if that person who set up the tent in the leanto tried to justify their decision by saying "I might have set up my tent in the leanto, but at least I had my bear canister, other people I saw didn't even carry one"?

I'm not trying to pick on you personally I just want to see our hiking community do a better job of following the rules. If you don't like the rules, work with the authorities to try and get them changed.

I'm glad you had a good hike, your pictures certainly show a beautiful day.

 

[deanmacg]

Let me ask you another question to clarify why this situation bothers me:

If someone posted up a thread asking about setting up tents in leantos, another poster replies and says it is unacceptable. If that person then went out, set up the tent in the leanto anyway and then posted on the forum: "Hey, I set up my tent in the leanto and nothing bad happened" wouldn't you be annoyed? What about if that person who set up the tent in the leanto tried to justify their decision by saying "I might have set up my tent in the leanto, but at least I had my bear canister, other people I saw didn't even carry one"?

I'm not trying to pick on you personally I just want to see our hiking community do a better job of following the rules. If you don't like the rules, work with the authorities to try and get them changed.

I'm glad you had a good hike, your pictures certainly show a beautiful day.

Thanks. My view is that everyone should adhere to the rules. If for some reason those rules have to be bent it should come from experience rather than inexperience. What I saw up there was all from the latter. Apparently Backpacker Mag wrote this place up and has since become quite popular which in time will attract a few of the 'problem' bears. Time will tell.

 

[Little Rickie]

Actually if someone wants to post their breaking of the rules then please do so in detail. We can then foward the information to the people that may be the most interested in it.

 

[deanmacg]

Actually if someone wants to post their breaking of the rules then please do so in detail. We can then foward the information to the people that may be the most interested in it.

You go first so the rest of us can get the format correct