Sierra South. Mike White

In early season, when the snow is melting, crossing a river can be the most dangerous part of a backpack trip. Later, ordinary caution will see you across safely. If a river is running high, you should cross it only there is no safer alternative, you have found a suitable place to ford, and you use a rope—but don’t tie into it; just hold onto it.

      Here are some suggestions for stream-crossing:

       If a stream is dauntingly high or swift, forget it. Turn around and come back later, perhaps in late summer or early fall, when flows reach seasonal lows.

       Wear closed-toe shoes, which will protect your feet from injury and give them more secure placement.

       Cross in a stance in which you’re angled upstream. If you face downstream, the water pushing against the back of your knees could cause them to buckle.

       Move one foot only when the other is firmly placed.

       Keep your legs apart for a more stable stance. You’ll find a cross-footed stance unstable even in your own living room, much less in a Sierra torrent.

       One or two hiking sticks will help keep you stable while crossing. You can also use a stick to probe ahead for holes and other obstacles that may be difficult to see and judge under running water.

       One piece of advice used to be that you should unfasten your pack’s hip belt in case you fell in and had to jettison the pack. However, modern quick-release buckles probably make this precaution unnecessary. Keeping the hip belt fastened will keep the pack more stable, and this will, in turn, help your stability. You may wish, however, to unfasten the sternum strap so that you have only one buckle to worry about.

The Bear Problem

      The bears of the Sierra are American black bears; their coats range from black to light brown. Unless provoked, they’re not usually aggressive, and their normal diet consists largely of plants. The suggestions in this section apply only to American black bears, not to the more aggressive grizzly bear, which is extinct in California.

      American black bears run and climb faster than you ever will, they are immensely stronger, and they are very intelligent. Long ago, they learned to associate humans with easy sources of food. Now, keeping your food away from the local bears is a problem. Remember, though, that they aren’t interested in eating you. Don’t let the possibility of meeting a bear keep you out of the Sierra. Respect these magnificent creatures. Learn what you can do to keep yourself and your food safe. Some suggestions follow.

      Bears—Any Time, Anywhere: You may encounter bears anywhere in the areas this book covers. If they present special problems on that trip, we mention them in the “Heads Up!” paragraph of that trip. Bears are normally daytime creatures, but they’ve learned that our supplies are easier to raid when we’re asleep, so they’re working the night shift, too. Also, it used to be that you rarely saw bears above 8000 to 9000 feet. As campers moved into the higher elevations, the bears followed.

      To avoid bears while hiking, some people make noise as they go, because most American black bears are shy and will scramble off to avoid meeting you. Other people find noise-making intrusive, consider those who make noise rude, and accept the risk of meeting a bear. You will have to decide.

      In camp, store your food properly and always scare bears away immediately. (See Food Storage.)

      Plan Ahead: Avoid taking smelly foods and fragrant toiletries; they attract bears—bears have a superb sense of smell. Ask rangers and other backpackers where there are bear problems, and avoid those areas; also ask them what measures they take to safeguard food and chase bears away.

      Carry a bear canister (see more below). If you need to counterbalance your food bags, practice the skill before you need it. After cooking, clean up food residue. Before going to sleep or leaving your camp, clean any food out of your gear and store it with the rest of your chow; otherwise, you could lose a pack to a bear that went for the granola bar you forgot in a side pocket. Don’t take food into your tent or sleeping bag unless you want ursine company. Store your smelly toiletries and garbage just as carefully as you store your food. Set up and use your kitchen at a good distance from the rest of your camp. Also make sure your food, even in canisters, is stored a good distance from your campsite.

Food Storage: Backcountry management policies now hold campers responsible for keeping their food away from bears. You can even be fined for violating food-storage rules. You’re also responsible for cleaning up the mess once you’re sure the bear won’t be back for seconds. And you have an ethical responsibility to keep bears from becoming pests, which may mean that they have to be killed.

      Here are some food-storage suggestions that will help you do this:

       Bear Canisters: The first ones were lengths of sturdy plastic pipe fitted with a bottom and a lid only a human can open. Today there are several more choices, including lighter-weight aluminum ones and still lighter ones of exotic aerospace materials. Using these canisters is the best method for protecting your food where bear boxes (below) aren’t available.Canisters aren’t perfect, but they work very well when used properly. Using a canister is much easier and more secure than counterbalance bearbagging. They make good in-camp seats, too.There’s also an extremely lightweight sack of bulletproof material, now available with an aluminum liner and with an odor-barrier inner sack. It is less secure than a canister, is slightly more difficult to use properly (but much easier than counterbalancing), and may not be approved for use in areas that require you to use a canister, like Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks. You can check online or call the controlling agency(ies) to see if the areas through which you plan to pass permit use of these sacks. One of us has had good luck with them.The materials you receive with your permit will tell you whether canisters are required. If you don’t own a canister, you can rent one from either an outdoors store or perhaps from the agency that issues your permit.

       Counterbalance Bearbagging: If you don’t have a bear-resistant food canister or access to a bear box where you camp, counterbalance your food. Note that in areas with severe bear problems, like most of Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, counterbalance bearbagging is ineffective and probably against regulations.Assuming you’re traveling in an area where bears aren’t yet a severe problem, counterbalance bearbagging may protect your food not only from bears but from ground squirrels, marmots, and other creatures. It’s best to get to camp early enough to get your food hung while there’s light to do it. Counterbalancing is not completely secure, but it may slow the bear down. It gives you time to scare it away. When you get a permit, you may get a sheet on the counterbalance bearbagging technique. The technique is also well-covered in numerous how-to-backpack books. Practice it at home before you go.If a bear goes after your food, jump up and down, make a lot of noise, wave your arms—anything to make yourself seem huge, noisy, and scary. Have a stash of rocks to throw and throw them at trees and boulders to make more noise. Bang pots together. Blow whistles. The object is to scare the bear away. Never directly attack the bear itself. Note, however, that some human-habituated bears simply can’t be scared off.

       Bear Boxes (Food Storage Lockers): Bear boxes are large steel lockers intended for storage of food only, and they will hold the food bags of several backpackers. Their latches, simple for humans, are inoperable by bears. Everyone shares the bear box; you may not put your own locks on one. Food in a properly fastened bear box is safe from bears; however, some boxes have holes in the bottom, through which, if the holes aren’t plugged, mice will squeeze in to nibble on your goodies.There are bear boxes at popular areas in Sequoia National Park and southern Kings Canyon National Park. Their locations and numbers, as well as regulations and a list of approved bear canisters, are available at or through links at www.nps.gov/seki/snrm/wildlife/food_storage.htm.The presence of a bear box attracts campers as well as bears, and campsites around them can become overused. However, it isn’t necessary for everyone to cluster right around the box. A campsite a few hundred yards away may be more secluded and desirable; the stroll to and from the bear box is a pleasant way to start and end