Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2011 23:22:53 -0600
Reply-To: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: camping amidst bears, safety question
In-Reply-To: <86627C3F-A3E3-4F07-B2DA-861EF7655324@sheilah.org>
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Legend has it ........
Yakutat, Alaska - down the coast from Prince William Sound in the
direction of Seattle and nestled on the shores of the Gulf of Alaska and
backed by the Wrangell-St. Elias Wilderness - is a choice Steelhead
fishing region. Fishermen abound, Bears abound, and in season, Steelhead
as well as Salmon abound. But for a certain kind of fishermen - only the
very large Yakutat Steelhead - a sea run Rainbow trout that returns to
the rivers to spawn - is the fish that counts.
Now bears have been known to take a fisherman's catch, and one doesn't
argue with a big bear, but this doesn't sit well with the fishing
guides, much less the fishermen. So - one enterprising fishing guide,
sick of having the camp raided and fish taken along with other stuff,
decided to make a bear dispersant. The next time a bear came rambling in
through the camp, he reached in a sealed plastic bag, and pulled out a
can wrapped in bacon strips tied tightly onto the can with string. The
guide tossed the can, and took off. The can landed near the bear, the
bear smelled that bacon, and proceeded to bite down. The rest is
history..... With a loud roar that bear snorted pure steam from nose and
mouth, then took off violently shaking his head, bouncing, and crashing
through the brush. On that first bite, the bear dropped the can, and
after the excitement a fisherman picked up the can. The label read -
"Automotive Starting Ether".
No more bear problem.
Legend has it.........
John
John Rodgers
Clayartist and Moldmaker
88'GL VW Bus Driver
Chelsea, AL
Http://www.moldhaus.com
On 2/11/2011 9:42 AM, Sheilah Rogers wrote:
> here i go with another "dumb" question, well actually, it's an admission of sorts.
>
> for all the camping i've done in my dear Vanna, i've somehow only gone to Yosemite once. for those who don't know, yosemite is famous for, among other things, having lots of curious and hungry bears.
>
> the one time i went, the ranger told us to stow our food in bear containers and to absolutely not leave any food in our tent or car.
>
> i looked at him flummoxed.
>
> regarding his safety precautions, i sleep "in a kitchen". one that gets cooked in. one that's presumably permeated by food smells, at least from the perspective of a bear's nose.
>
> so i put the food in the bear container. decided not to pop the top just in case the smells of dinner were particularly delightful.
>
> the next morning the ranger came by and asked us if we heard the bear rummaging next to the van. we had not.
>
> i thought about how i camp in more coastal areas, or in the desert, but usually not in the woods.
>
> so fellow van owners who camp in bear country and cook in their van, do you pop your top? do you sleep soundly without dreams of bears ripping through your canvas top?
>
> do you think about the smell of your kitchen?
>
> do you think it's impossible to separate the smell of food from where you sleep, assuming you like to sleep in the cozy of your delightful van bed?
>
> s.
>
>
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