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  1. #41
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    sorry 'bout the bad link; not sure how that happened...
    Last edited by lkmi; 07-19-2022 at 21:38.

  2. #42
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    Quote Originally Posted by Coffee View Post
    The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee list has, for some reason, not included the Wild Ideas Bearikade products.
    I've wondered why the Bearikade (which I use) isn't on that list... I suspect it has more to do with bureaucracy than effectiveness...

  3. #43

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    Quote Originally Posted by Coffee View Post
    The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee list has, for some reason, not included the Wild Ideas Bearikade products. Perhaps because those canisters have only proven effective against black bears. Of course, there are no grizzlies on the AT, so I see no reason to not use the bearikade even if the AT is using the IGBC list in their press release. Which I assume is fine since these are recommendations, not government mandates.
    Barricades have been tested, and passed, for both Grizzlies and Black Bears. The testing just wasn’t by the IGBC. Some national parks allow use of Bearicades (eg Yosemite), and some don’t (eg Denali). Apparently there is no single national standard.
    Last edited by gpburdelljr; 07-19-2022 at 22:40.

  4. #44
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    Default Weight Distribution

    The problem with a canister on the bottom of the pack is poor weight distribution if the canister has a lot of food in it. It's better to have the most dense items high and close to the body. A canister full of dense food would be a good example. There are assumptions here. I am only discussing packs that have waist belts intended to transfer the load to your hips and you are using a pack appropriate to the weight you are carrying. If you are crossing a potentially dangerous stream then weight may need to be lowered to further stabilize the pack after loosening pack straps and undoing your waist belt.

    Your waist and waist belt act like a hinge. When dense items are placed at the bottom of the pack, you must bend much further forward in order to move that mass toward your front/back center of gravity. Bending which is required just doesn't move the bottom of your pack much. When dense items are high and close to the back, you need to move only a very small angle to accomplish the same thing. Walking more upright is so much better for your back and shoulders. Because you are more upright and the weight is more directly over your waist belt, it is transferred to the belt and hence to the hips putting little to no weight on your back. Likewise there is little or no pressure on your shoulders nor on the shoulder straps. When your weight is down low and you must lean forward, the weight pulls back and down on your shoulder straps and your back.

    Yes your center of gravity is a little higher. You are not skiing. You quickly adjust. You carry poles to help you. You use a chest strap and tighter straps if needed at first. You learn to pack things so they don't bounce around. Loose things are bad in all cases.

  5. #45
    Thru-hiker 2013 NoBo CarlZ993's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gpburdelljr View Post
    I wonder how many canisters get rolled off into the woods where the owner can’t find it.
    I put reflective tape squares around the sides, top, & bottom on my cannisters. I tend to be an early riser & it is easy to find my cannister in the dark.
    2013 AT Thru-hike: 3/21 to 8/19
    Schedule: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...t1M/edit#gid=0

  6. #46

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    In addition to reflective tape I also have a Tile tracker in my canister.

  7. #47
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    Question: Do you feel the ATC (and the PCTA & CDTC) have any authority over anything you do on the trail or or do you feel they just give their opinion and you can take it or leave it?
    Take Time to Watch the Trees Dance with The Wind........Then Join In........

  8. #48

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    Quote Originally Posted by perrymk View Post
    In addition to reflective tape I also have a Tile tracker in my canister.
    Interesting device. Cheaper than the Apple Air Tag. Did you purchase from that Amazon company?
    For a couple of bucks, get a weird haircut and waste your life away Bryan Adams....
    Hammock hangs are where you go into the woods to meet men you've only known on the internet so you can sit around a campfire to swap sewing tips and recipes. - sargevining on HF

  9. #49

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    Quote Originally Posted by wornoutboots View Post
    Question: Do you feel the ATC (and the PCTA & CDTC) have any authority over anything you do on the trail or or do you feel they just give their opinion and you can take it or leave it?
    From ATC website:

    “The A.T. is a footpath and corridor of land under the overall administration of the National Park Service (NPS), through the Appalachian Trail Park Office, often referred to as “APPA.” However, more than 60 percent of the A.T. passes through lands owned and managed by the U.S. Forest Service and many other federal, state, and local agencies. Rules and regulations may vary in different areas. Official rules and regulations are set by land-managing agencies; however, the A.T. is managed through a cooperative management system, with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) as the lead coordinating partner working with APPA, 87 land-managing agency partners, and 31 local trail-maintaining clubs.”

  10. #50

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    Quote Originally Posted by rhjanes View Post
    Interesting device. Cheaper than the Apple Air Tag. Did you purchase from that Amazon company?
    I actually don't remember where I purchased mine, but it was probably Amazon. It's the same item found on Amazon and Amazon is easiest to link.

  11. #51

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    Quote Originally Posted by wornoutboots View Post
    Question: Do you feel the ATC (and the PCTA & CDTC) have any authority over anything you do on the trail or or do you feel they just give their opinion and you can take it or leave it?
    Hard to argue they don't have authority as these groups have formal agreements or MOU's with the appropriate Federal agencies for purposes of stewardship, which does include enforcement of various things like open fire bans, etc. I doubt if there can be one overarching authority like the NPS covering trail systems thousands of miles long with an substantial number of stakeholders involved. These NGO's (non-government organizations) are able to maintain relationships with the National Park Service, United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and assorted State, County, local, and tribal governments land management. These managing groups are typically set up in sections and have a local population of members who are familiar with and understand local regulations, address specific maintenance needs, secure legal access permissions, and property easement acquisitions. They are similar in many regards, and each has a fiduciary responsibility to the stewardship of the trail itself, associated wildlife, and education of the public.

    These NGO's have history with their respective trails, perhaps the best known is the ATC (Appalachian Trail Conservancy) that oversees much of the Appalachian Trail as we know it today. The ATC is a private, non-profit organization established in 1925 to help manage the Appalachian Trail on a more local level. Though AT responsibility is officially assigned to the National Park Service much of the trail remains outside of NPS boundaries. Over the years there have been several changes in the ATC agreements impacting both responsibilities and authority, in 1984 a Delegation Agreement was established that assigns specific responsibilities in National Park Service lands and lands outside of National Parks boundaries. To this day it remains one of the more successful partnerships of its type. Similarly, the PCTA has an established formal relationship with the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management for the same purpose.

    The Continental Divide Trail mostly threads its way through Federal lands maintained by USFS, NPS, and BLM. Though 95% of the trail is on Federal land, in 1976 the Continental Divide Trail Coalition entered into a memorandum of understanding that recognizes the stewardship provided by the CDTC. Recent congressional activity in process (CDT Completion Act, September 2022) intends to complete the Continental Divide Trail, which will not change the role of the CDTC though it will add to their workload in trail maintenance and support.

    For the most part they help educate people of regulations which can differ between these entities, conduct maintenance operations, and basically are ambassadors that promote responsible trail use. The only time I have seen anyone from the ATC act authoritively is when someone has a campfire going in a no-fire area, people leaving food out in areas where bears frequent, or tromping on fragile alpine plants in protected areas. Beyond those types of things it's mostly awareness and education along with the manual labor for trail improvements.

  12. #52
    Thru-hiker 2013 NoBo CarlZ993's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by perrymk View Post
    In addition to reflective tape I also have a Tile tracker in my canister.
    Great idea! There is always someone out there with the idea of a better mousetrap.
    2013 AT Thru-hike: 3/21 to 8/19
    Schedule: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...t1M/edit#gid=0

  13. #53
    ME => GA 19AT3 rickb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by wornoutboots View Post
    Question: Do you feel the ATC (and the PCTA & CDTC) have any authority over anything you do on the trail or or do you feel they just give their opinion and you can take it or leave it?
    Moral authority, yes.

    Also the authority to trespass an individual from property they own or lease (like the Harper’s Ferry HQ) just as any private organization would be able to do.

    Zero authority over hikers beyond that.

  14. #54

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    There is (or at least there was 1/2 of a NPS police enforcement officer assigned to the entire AT. ATC employees and volunteers can make reports to their local clubs which are forwarded to the 1/2 person but they have no direct authority. If the AT goes through state lands than they are under the enforcement authority of whatever agency enforces the state rules in state lands (usually fish and game officers). If on USFS lands they fall under national forest enforcement. Every national forest will have enforcement personnel, but they only enforce USFS rules. And then of course there is Baxter State Park who has there own enforcement and the rangers are all capable of enforcing state and BSP specific rules.

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