Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2010 11:53:49 -0700
Reply-To: neil n <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: neil n <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Westy Configurations and Bear-proofing
In-Reply-To: <20100627134625.I8F4T.890736.imail@eastrmwml46>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
On Sun, Jun 27, 2010 at 10:46 AM, Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@cox.net> wrote:
>Yosemite black bears seem to be the best anywhere at getting into vehicles. Grizzlies are pretty frightful critters, however, and don't seem at all reluctant to get into camps and tents. I wouldn't expect one to drop onto the van from on high, though.
>
> when backpacking in bear country, we always hang all smellies, and we sleep at least 100 yards from storage and cooking spots. But we do cook, minimally -- freeze dried stuff, heatables, and such. We've never had a problem, but we've known folks who have. So, what to do in the vanagon? National Park campsites with known bear problems provide storage lockers, and some large NFS ones do too. But -- the cooking? Hardsided vehicle is reputed to be adequate, except in Yosemite. Hmmmmmmmm.
Last night before knocking off, I was envisioning the possibility of a
bear (likely a grizzly) clawing in through the pop top canvas. Of
course my imagination ran a little wild, but it seems to me that if
they really wanted to get in....
Good points on what one might choose to cook; something I would give
serious thought to before camping in a popular spot in the woods.
Personally I'd be hesitant to cook up any meat or fish while camping
in the wild.
My guess is that if one is camped in a spot not regularly populated by
humans, the bears may not be as adept to getting in or more to the
point, not as concentrated in a given area as they would be if an area
regularly smells nice (to them). But then they learn quick and are
creatures of habit it seems. i.e. locally, is refuse can only be put
on the curb just before garbage pickup in the AM. Otherwise, like
clockwork, the bears show up. Like I said. They learn quick.
Ironically, my Westy likely still smells of bacon or w.h.y. from past
trips (at least to a bears nose). But maybe the smell of gear oil is
still lingering enough that a grizzly would take a pass. (yah. I
stored an open tranny in there for a while <rolls eyes>)
Neil.
--
Neil Nicholson '81 VanaJetta 2.0 "Jaco"
http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/
http://groups.google.com/group/vanagons-with-vw-inline-4-cylinder-gas-engines
| 
