[pct-l] Regarding tent stakes & food odors (Oregon PCT)

[joel01 at ekit.com]

1. Lots of areas with soft soil, except when you are on lava fields; 
which I wouldn't recommend sleeping on (unless you're into that kind 
of thing). I never carry a mallet, rocks work fine.

2. If you are only talking about in Oregon, than I wouldn't worry 
about an Ursack or bear canister. However, if you are going through 
the Sierras there is a stretch in there where proper storage is 
legally required. 

When it comes to habituated bears it isn't just scent that is going 
to draw them in. Human + backpack spells F-O-O-D. Bright foil 
packages are worth a chomp into. A habituated bear probably knows 
the difference and has a preference between Clif bars and other 
energy bars.

Joel (aka Vlad the Impaler)


Quoting OMullis <omullis at aircanopy.net>:

>Couple questions for the experienced crowd.
>
>1. What's your experience with Oregon soils along
>the PCT as far as inserting/removing 6-8" tent
>stakes?  Is a mallet needed or can one push them in
>by hand and/or mash them in with one's foot?
>
>2. I'm thinking that the manufacturer's engineered
>foil-and-polymer wrappers on bar items (Clif,
>Balance, Kashi, etc) and cold-prep freeze-dried
>foods (e.g., Adventure Foods) are impermeable enough
>with regard to odors that if I keep them inside an
>odorproof O.P. Sak to further reduce the odor
>transmission that I won't need to also provide a
>physical barrier/deterent like an Ursack or bear
>can.  Sound reasonable? Naive? Ignorant?
>
>Trying to keep things as light and simple as I can
>without creating problems for myself or others.
>Thanks for sharing your experience and advice!
>
>Ollen Mullis
>PCT-OR Sept2008
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It was then I knew I'd had enough, 
Burned my credit card for fuel 
Headed out to where the pavement turns to sand - Neil Young