[pct-l] Food storage bags Zip-Lock vs OPSAK vs Food-Saver bags

Tue Oct 6 13:36:13 CDT 2009

MendoRider posting in. 
My horse ride this year started in Sierra City and finished at border of Canada. As I also did last year,  I drove my rig ahead (I sometimes got a ride back to Primo and other times I hitched back) and cached (buried) my food and my horses food at road crossings or trail-heads- that way I could travel "unsupported", not needing to schedule people to meet us at road crossings with food resupplies (as other equestrians have always done) and not having to go into towns or cities to resupply as the hikers can do. When you travel solo with one horse its not possible to hitch into towns with your horse to resupply.I cached the horse food in Food-Saver bags and mine in double Zip-Lock freezer bags. The Zip-Lock bags, containing my food,  INSIDE a larger OPSAK. The OPSAK features a patented "odor barrier" that does not permit food smells to escape outside the bag. On one occasion I was able to verify that it actually works. Really works!

This was at Beldon Town where I had buried my resupplies just south of the railroad tracks about 1/2 mile south of Beldon. I had buried the food cache under a thick layer of leaves. I then cached at highway 36 and drove rig on to Hiker-Hide- Away at Old Station. Angel HuffnPuff drove me to Chester and I hitched to Quincy where Angel Mary drove me on to Primo at her pasture in Sierra City. Then I rode north. When I rode to the Beldon Town cache about 10 days later, I discovered that critters had eaten ALL of the horse food - over 30 pounds of horse food that was in the Food-Saver freezer bags - there were 11 of these and they had been shreded - every grain had been eaten. I WAS AMAZED THAT THE OPSAK, CONTAINING MY FOOD WAS NOT TOUCHED - EVEN THOUGH IT HAD BEEN BURIED ALONGSIDE AND IN CONTACT WITH THE FREEZER BAGS. In the Cascades ( Bear country) I used the OpSaks for all food  - buried and in camp as well.. In addition, I also used my "bear charms"
 (moth balls) - bears don't like the smell. I have never had bears get my food.  OpSaks are available from REI. You can get more info by Googleing opsak.

MendoRider - - - Ed Anderson in the other world - - -

--- On Tue, 10/6/09, pct-l-request at backcountry.net <pct-l-request at backcountry.net> wrote:

From: pct-l-request at backcountry.net <pct-l-request at backcountry.net>
Subject: Pct-l Digest, Vol 22, Issue 17
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2009, 10:00 AM

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Today's Topics:

   1. Re: After Action Report - Earthquake Attack (hiker97 at aol.com)
   2. Ziploc Heavy Duty Freezer Quart Bags (hiker97 at aol.com)

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Message: 1
Date: Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:32:50 -0400
From: hiker97 at aol.com
Subject: Re: [pct-l] After Action Report - Earthquake Attack
To: bighummel at aol.com, pct-l at backcountry.net
Message-ID: <8CC145D94189F6D-362C-2704E at webmail-d073.sysops.aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

The Wagon Master wrote: In a book I read recently a trapper back in the 1840's found that after visiting Indian tribes many, many of them would die of a strange disease.? Amongst the Indians he was considered a harbinger of death, and he even wondered why this was so.? Of course he was spreading small pox unknowingly. 
?

Similarly, the infamous Switchback carries a strange electro-magnetic curse with him that brings about massive movements of earth, rock and stone.? The local residents know this and fear him and call him the Great Mover of Earth!? Thus, the recent rash of earthquakes arises no questions in the scientific community now that the full facts are known.? The scientific community, however, have issued a "Switchback" alert to any location where it is rumored he may travel to.? Beware and be afraid!

----------------------------------------------------------------

Switchback the GEM replies: So true.? So true.? Actually, among the natives of the deep PCT mountains I have always had the tribal name of Trail Arm Candy or Trophy Mountain Man.? I think, if I remember correctly, the native women gave me those names.? But in any case, I will also now take the name of?GEM or Giant Earth Mover.? Edward Abbey had some thoughts on GEMs in his books.?

My next expedition will be October 22-26 back over to the earthquake prone Lone Pine and Horseshoe Meadows trailhead.? I now expect that the Terminators will have a bounty out on my head/scalp.? This will make it more challenging, but not impossible.? I also expect they will be enlisting the local Indians,?outlaws,?trail?pirates, and bounty hunters?to ambush me.??At the first refrain of my Spenser .56 buffalo gun, they will all scatter.? Plus, I can now bring down?tons of rock on them.? No problem.

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Message: 2
Date: Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:46:57 -0400
From: hiker97 at aol.com
Subject: [pct-l] Ziploc Heavy Duty Freezer Quart Bags
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Message-ID: <8CC145F8D55977E-362C-2714A at webmail-d073.sysops.aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Say, I pick up some of the new expandable bottom bags at Walmart the other day.? Very nice bags for backpacking.? The new bottoms make them much more usable for gear, etc.? 

I write the item(s) and weight(s) on each bag.? This makes keeping organized much easier.? I use the?weights to evaluate my gear while I am out there?banging?along the trail and camping.

Later, Switchback the GEM? 

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End of Pct-l Digest, Vol 22, Issue 17
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