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  • #16
    That's the problem, we're still trying to figure out where our overnight should take us. We're starting at the Lake Lincoln (I think, I just know it has lincoln in it) and hope to hit gothics and any other peak that would be good in an overnight that should hopefully take us in a loop back to the campgrounds.

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    • #17
      Ya ive heard you can rent, (ADK Loj i know for sure). But be careful leaving your food in your car. I've heard that bears have broken glass, because they see a cooler, so cover it up! Toothpaste believe it or not should be left with food, especialy if it has a tropical taste or smell, becuase when there hungry, ive seen them eat toothpaste. Strange animals bears

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      • #18
        EMS in Lake Placid rents the canisters. I think the woman at the register told me it was $5 for 3 days, definately a good deal. (No I don't work there.)

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        • #19
          Don't tempt bears with the smells

          Wherever you go, reduce the likelihood that bears will even know about your food by placing it within a plastic garbage bag when storing it overnight. I've done wilderness hiking or canoe camping several times/year in the ADKs for 15+ years and have never had a bear get my food - hung over a branch (or between 2 trees). I don't camp in the high peaks in the summer however where they apparently know where to look for food perhaps even without smells. Some outdoor people advocate placing food on the ground (rather than up hig) to reduce the potential for smells to drift. I believe that is only advisable at very lightly used sites however.

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          • #20
            just put it in your car
            ---------------------------------------------------

            Id rather be hiking.

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            • #21
              Originally posted by Bob K
              Wherever you go, reduce the likelihood that bears will even know about your food by placing it within a plastic garbage bag when storing it overnight. I've done wilderness hiking or canoe camping several times/year in the ADKs for 15+ years and have never had a bear get my food - hung over a branch (or between 2 trees). I don't camp in the high peaks in the summer however where they apparently know where to look for food perhaps even without smells. Some outdoor people advocate placing food on the ground (rather than up hig) to reduce the potential for smells to drift. I believe that is only advisable at very lightly used sites however.

              A plastic garbage bag will do nothing to mask the smell of food (or anything else) to a bear or other animals.
              "If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracles of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it." Lyndon B. Johnson

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              • #22
                One other thing that should be mentioned that is a bear magnet and that is a used sanitary napkin. those should be wrapped and sealed tightly in a couple of layers of aluminum foil along with a crushed up aspirin, and then sealed in a zip lock and finally stored away from your shelter. just don't forget to pack it out.

                These will attract more bears in the wilderness then any food will.
                "If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracles of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it." Lyndon B. Johnson

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                • #23
                  A friend who works at EMS here in Rochester said the 3-day rental for bear cannisters allows for a 3 day trip. This means you can pick it up on Thurs. Use it for Fri, Sat and Sun and return it on Mon. I don't know if this is true for all EMS locations.
                  "There's a whisper on the night-wind, there's a star agleam to guide us, And the Wild is calling, calling . . . let us go." -from "The Call of the Wild" by Robert Service

                  My trail journal: DuctTape's Journal

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                  • #24
                    Originally posted by redhawk
                    One other thing that should be mentioned that is a bear magnet and that is a used sanitary napkin. those should be wrapped and sealed tightly in a couple of layers of aluminum foil along with a crushed up aspirin, and then sealed in a zip lock and finally stored away from your shelter. just don't forget to pack it out.

                    These will attract more bears in the wilderness then any food will.
                    My impression is that opinions vary on this. Never hurts to err on the side of safety though.
                    Die Free and Live

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                    • #25
                      I was just at EMS Sunday in Schenectady, picking up a map, and I believe to rent them it was $2.00 a day, not 100% sure, but I believe if you rented them for an extended period of time (ie. 3 days or so) you got a better deal. I think $5.00 for 3 days sounds about right
                      http://community.webshots.com/user/eddogg12

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                      • #26
                        Originally posted by Fitz
                        If you backpack overnight, bear cannisters are required equipment - in the High Peaks at least.
                        Is the bear canister the part that is actually required, or only adequate "bear proofing" of food?

                        In all my past backpacking, canoeing and camping in the backwoods (often in black bear territory) I've taken precautions including either:
                        1) Hanging food on a tree that is a good deal (at least 200 yards) away from the site on a branch at least 20 feet up and 5 feet from a tree trunk. Sometimes it is tough to find a suitable tree, but eventually I've always found a way to do this. I tie the rope around a rock or heavy small stick and spend some time working out my throwing arm!

                        OR

                        2) Canoe the food bag to a small island. If available this is my preferred (easiest) method.

                        I've never used the cannisters, but have always kept a dedicated food pack/dry bag to keep food smells off of any packs kept in the camp at night.

                        As someone else mentioned toothpaste should go in there as well. I also include any other personal care/toiletry items such as toothbrush, deodorant, etc, dirty dishes. Remember to stow those food wrappers from the beef jerky or anything else you ate during that day's hike too!

                        I agree with the others about car camping - I always leave the food in the truck as often as possible.

                        Interestingly - last summer at fish creek ponds we saw a couple of black bears roaming the campground in the middle of the day.

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                        • #27
                          Originally posted by jebross
                          Is the bear canister the part that is actually required, or only adequate "bear proofing" of food?
                          In the eastern High Peaks the Bear canister is MANDATORY. If you are caught without one, you will be fined and the rangers will drag you behind a lean to and beat you to a pulp.

                          Originally posted by jebross
                          In all my past backpacking, canoeing and camping in the backwoods (often in black bear territory) I've taken precautions including either:
                          1) Hanging food on a tree that is a good deal (at least 200 yards) away from the site on a branch at least 20 feet up and 5 feet from a tree trunk. Sometimes it is tough to find a suitable tree, but eventually I've always found a way to do this. I tie the rope around a rock or heavy small stick and spend some time working out my throwing arm!

                          OR

                          2) Canoe the food bag to a small island. If available this is my preferred (easiest) method.

                          I've never used the cannisters, but have always kept a dedicated food pack/dry bag to keep food smells off of any packs kept in the camp at night.

                          As someone else mentioned toothpaste should go in there as well. I also include any other personal care/toiletry items such as toothbrush, deodorant, etc, dirty dishes. Remember to stow those food wrappers from the beef jerky or anything else you ate during that day's hike too!

                          I agree with the others about car camping - I always leave the food in the truck as often as possible.

                          Interestingly - last summer at fish creek ponds we saw a couple of black bears roaming the campground in the middle of the day.
                          Many of us have always taken the correct precautions as far as making it inconvenient for bears or other animals to find an easy source of fod.

                          Unfortunately, many others have not, and as a result the bears in the eastern High peaks have become conditioned to equating humans with an easy source of food. this has scared the bejesus out of more then a few humans (inluding many who probably deserver to be eaten) but even more tragicly has caused the demise of a few "problem" bears.

                          So, now everyone has to have a bear canister if hiking in the Eastern High peaks. Hopefully the problem will not manifest itself in the other areas of the dacks.
                          "If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracles of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it." Lyndon B. Johnson

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                          • #28
                            Originally posted by jebross
                            Is the bear canister the part that is actually required, or only adequate "bear proofing" of food?
                            This is how the regulation is worded:
                            3. In the High Peaks Wilderness Area, no person shall:
                            xiv. fail to take reasonable steps to keep food, food containers, and garbage from bears, and during the period April 1 through November 30, no overnight camper in the Eastern High Peaks Zone shall fail to use bear-resistant canisters for the storage of all food, food containers, garbage, and toiletries;
                            2. Bear-resistant canister means a commercially made container constructed of solid, non-pliable material manufactured for the specific purpose of resisting entry by bears.
                            http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/r...0b.html#190.13
                            A man needs to believe in something. I believe I'll go hiking.

                            http://community.webshots.com/user/lumberzac

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                            • #29
                              Originally posted by redhawk
                              In the eastern High Peaks the Bear canister is MANDATORY. If you are caught without one, you will be fined and the rangers will drag you behind a lean to and beat you to a pulp.
                              'I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.' - Henry David Thoreau

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                              • #30
                                Originally posted by redhawk
                                One other thing that should be mentioned that is a bear magnet and that is a used sanitary napkin. those should be wrapped and sealed tightly in a couple of layers of aluminum foil along with a crushed up aspirin,
                                What does the aspirin do?
                                He found himself wondering at times, especially in the autumn, about the wild lands, and strange visions of mountains that he had never seen came into his dreams.

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