Apparently our Tennessee bears are wimps. The official word in the Smokies is that you should put all of your food in the trunk of your car. Or, if backpacking, tie it eight feet up in the air between two trees. Tennessee bears are also short. And in recorded history (around here that's since the mid 1700's) there's only been one person killed by a bear. And even that one is questionable. I've hiked all over these hills and seen numerous bears. I once come around a very tight corner (on a trail with a cliff on one side and a drop off on the other with about one foot of trail between) and found myself face to face with a bear about three feet away. I don't know who was more surprise and frightened - me or the bear. It ran away. I had to stop and change pants! Mostly the bears I've seen on the trails always just mosey off. That said, I've never slept with food in, or near, my tent. r Ron Tipton IT Specialist III Laboratory for Information Technologies University of Tennessee |
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