[pct-l] Mariposa with Bear Vault? / BV200 in Rae Lakes area

[enyapjr at comcast.net]

>"...since my BV200 isn't allowed any longer in the Rae Lakes area."  

Not true for a thru-hiker with a valid thru permit...  Let me explain, please...

The BearVault earlier models are not approved in the "Rae Lakes area" of Seki, HOWEVER, as a thru-hiker
with a valid thru permit you CAN use a BV200 in the Rae Lakes area - but you MUST utilize the bear boxes/food lockers for food storage while 'camping'...  The Rae Lakes area is (nobo) from Forester Pass (~780 PCT miles) to Pinchot Pass (~808 PCT miles)...  Please note: this is for thru-hikers with a valid thru permit ONLY - under the "thru-hiker exemption" still recognized by Seki (but NOT by other agencies), a thru isn't "required" to carry a bear canister at all in Seki, but they must utilize the bear boxes for food storage in the restricted areas!  This does not apply to weekenders or 'short term' backpackers coming into the Rae Lakes area from Seki or Inyo NF adjacent trailheads - approved bear canister models (for BearVault that would be BV400 and BV350) must be carried and used for food storage in the Rae Lakes area; the bear boxes on the PCT in the 'restricted areas' are supposed to be "for thru-hikers only" (some have even been labeled as such by the backcountry rangers) pe
r Seki's Wilderness Office (phone: 559-565-3766)...

The earlier models of BearVault are approved for use everywhere in the Sierra except the "Rae Lakes area"...

Confusing, I know...  'Some day' it will be the same for everyone and, therefore, much less confusion - the thru-hiker exemption in Seki will cease to exist eventually; it's just a matter of time...

IMHO bear canisters SHOULD be used from Cottonwood Pass (~750 PCT miles) to Dorothy Lake Pass (~998 PCT miles) at a minimum - it's the 'right' thing to do...  I'm surprised that no other areas on the PCT between Pinchot Pass and Tully Hole (~808 to ~890 PCT miles) - which don't have any bear boxes directly on the PCT - have not been made "restricted areas" as yet...  Maybe that will change, too, in the near future...

I hope the above helps to clarify a confusing issue...  Happy trails!!!
Jim Payne