Great reports, glad no-one was injured.
Kind of shocking the bear would be so brazen with such a large group! Good call to get out of there I feel.
I have a similar concern for one of my favorite getaway sports. I've seen the same bear the last 3 times I've been there. It's like a nightly occurrence. He stays clear of the campsites, but I wonder for how long. It's a tough situation since I see him eating what I assume are crabs on the beach - probably good hunting for them near the campsites and he's got to eat. I just can't help but think it's going to end badly for him.
And he did not bring a hammock....Bears at a group hang?
I am still 18 but with 52 years of experience !
A few questions...
How big was that purple tarp!?
How many runners were there?!
PG my friend, why did you not put that bear in it's place?
I too will something make and joy in it's making
Purple tarp made by Walhalla with internal pole mods. 16 feet by 16 feet of purple silpoly. Three South Carolina ladies pitched that sharp tarp: Mrs Shaw, Dragon Lady, and Jail Bait. All their hammocks and tarps were strak.
Don’t know how many runners, we cheered them on. Fantastic young are our future.
Maybe watch video and count the runners?
I was wakened out of deep sleep in my hammock.
I started kicking top quilt off. By time I got out of hammock, bear was gone—I never saw the bear.
I would have tried to pop bear with my oak staff. But bear was gone.
A clean trash bag with contents of pack and pack all inside—to keep dry from rain—was tied to my hammock suspension along with a miniature food cooler next to trash bag.
It was all tied together with amsteel to my hammock suspension—otherwise bear would have got my food.
Slowhike if a bear is trying to kill me, whip out your phone and film it before bear finishes eating me.
Film it, otherwise they will never believe you, since all hammock campers are prone to telling tall tales
I just realized that some people might be reading this trip report, but not the planning thread where I first posted about encountering the bear.
In summary, I went in a day early to solo camp at a different, more remote site about 300 yards down the trail. Just after I had set up my hammock and tarp, the bear approached me and and got as close as maybe 20 feet. I yelled and he walked off, but kept coming back. It was getting dark and I was by myself, so I decided to just leave my stuff (food was still in my pack, which I took with me) and go home. I came back in the morning with the intention of moving my hammock, but the bear had ransacked my camp. My quilts and pillows were trashed, but hammock and tarp survived.
Here is a quick video I got of the bear before I decided to hike out Wednesday night.
https://youtu.be/gu4PQVxt8p4
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