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My Spring trip is shaped in such a way that I could conceivably cache a few days' worth of food and pick it up on the way back, saving me portaging that weight in the meantime. I've never done anything like that before, and I'm wondering if it's terribly wise to hang a food bag that's going to stay there for days.
Opinions? Advice?
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I thought I read somewhere that it wasn’t allowed in provincial parks. In a very bureaucratic way, I think it’s covered under section 3 here?:
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Well if it's not allowed I certainly won't be doing it (not sure I would regardless), but that section seems pretty vague. You could read it that we're all breaking the rules every night when we hang our food.
Storing of wildlife attractants 3. No person shall maintain or store potential wildlife attractants, including food or beverages, food preparation or storage equipment, cooking devices or utensils, garbage or recycling products, scented products or any other item in a manner that is likely to attract wildlife without the written authorization of the superintendent, which may be granted if the superintendent is of the opinion that the otherwise prohibited activities will not cause a threat to public safety. O. Reg. 347/07, s. 3.
Last edited by Uppa (5/08/2019 7:29 am)
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hung ,outta sight,, outta mind
should not be a problem,
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There is a rule somewhere I read specifically about caching and it didn't even have to do with food.
On the other hand if you base camp, your food is basically hung there for 3 days anyway, only you're around some of the time.
I'd call the park and tell them exactly where you want to hang this, and see if its allowed.
Last edited by solo_lesta (5/08/2019 8:12 am)
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I called the park and spoke to someone, they didn't see a problem with it - so the 'rules' part seems to be answered (not that I even realized I should ask that!).
My real question was more about whether or not it's a good idea. Meaning, if I've done a proper bear hang, should I reasonably expect to find my food where I left it when I come back four days later? Or is it just as likely to be chewed up, or missing entirely?
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I left an entire packsack with food hanging high in the trees, minus dinner and breakfast at the start of the Fairy Portage to Animoosh as I was very tired. This was half way through our 17 day trip from Crotch, Shirley etc. No problem retrieiving it the next day. I would think "humans" would be more of a concern than "bears".
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Maybe just me, but that food would be on my mind the whole time I was away from it. Sitting here in front of a keyboard, there's a 100% chance it will be there when you return. Laying in a tent two days away from the food stash, that percentage will degrade while I'm trying to sleep wondering how the chipmunks are doing dividing up my food.
The other thing that occurs to me is if your plans change due to weather or whatever. The stash either forces your hand to return to that area no matter what, unless you selected a spot that you had to go past on the return swing anyway.
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@dontgroandaddy yeah, that's pretty much what my mindset would be, for sure. I think the stress of worrying about whether or not I'll have food to eat probably outweighs the weight savings on the portages. Guess I'll lug it all with me!
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Uppa wrote:
@dontgroandaddy yeah, that's pretty much what my mindset would be, for sure. I think the stress of worrying about whether or not I'll have food to eat probably outweighs the weight savings on the portages. Guess I'll lug it all with me!
You could split the difference, stash a small amount but keep enough that you won’t starve if it’s gone. Or just stash your tent instead.
If your food cache consists of sushi I'd say it's definitely a bad idea, regardless of what the Park says...
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If nothing else, I can probably stash a nalgene with some whiskey in it. That's probably the only way I'll have something left to drink by night 6 ;)
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If nothing else, I can probably stash a nalgene with some whiskey in it. That's probably the only way I'll have something left to drink by night 6 ;)
You could take overproof rum instead, 75.5% alcohol. Almost twice the bang per gram.
Regarding the food stash, I think it could be done without issues from animals if you did a very good job of hanging it up. But hiding it from humans would definitely be the bigger concern. You would need a drab colored or camo pattern and it would have to be well off the beaten path. Then you'd have to make sure you can find it again. It may not be worth the effort and risk if you are only saving 10-15 pounds.
I expect you hang your food every night anyway, so whether you are traveling 10 kilometers or sleeping 70 feet away from that tree - Algonquin wildlife being used to humans as it is, won't know the difference. You will be the only one who will. As for the chewing part, if you pack your food in ursacks there will be no chewing.
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If you’d take freeze dried meals, even for a few extra days for 1 person, 3x a day, I dont think it will add much mor3 then at most 2 pounds? Not the cheapest way out, but at least you would have it with you?
Myself, I would not leave a cache, but carry the extra weight, in case something else unexpected happened.( sickness, injured)
Unless ofcourse, if you’re going to have all fresh food waiting for you in that tree, or you’re travelling with more people.
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I know people who've hung a resupply cache without issue. They did it around 30 m from a portage.
I did a backpacking trip up at Pukaskwa that was out and back and left food in the metal bear boxes for each stop on the way back. Had no issues with other people but it is hardly the most travelled park. More people means more chance of someone being less than polite.
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