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wolffie
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wolffie
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PostMon May 13, 2019 2:01 pm 
I'm thinking about leaving a caching a bear vault of food at White Pass, early July. This would have to be 1-2 weeks before pickup -- we'll be coming north from Stevens on the PCT, very slow. Contents in a OPB inside. What do you think about this? That's 1-2 weeks for bears to play football with it. We might never find it. Does anybody have experience with this? I don't want to ask anybody to resupply us, and I don't want to be locked-in to a rendezvous schedule. And come to think, I'd maybe rather just hump all that weight than take a very long day to carry it up to White Pass and cache it.

Some people have better things to do with their lives than walking the dog. Some don't.
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pcg
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PostMon May 13, 2019 3:38 pm 
I've cached food successfully on multiple occasions in the North Cascades. Maybe I've been lucky, but I've never had a problem. I think the key to success is the OPB part. I double bag in two Opsacks, then put the whole affair in an Ursack, then disguise the white Ursack with a dark colored stuff sack and hang between two trees if in the forest, or under a pile of rocks if in the alpine. I've heard of caches lasting for many months in NCNP. (Yes, I know it's against park rules to cache food.)

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iron
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iron
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PostMon May 13, 2019 4:01 pm 
i cached a bear can in downey creek. no problems. submerged for the cheese. no smells. free refrigeration.

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Randito
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Randito
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PostMon May 13, 2019 4:28 pm 
A couple notes: 1) Technically it's illegal to cache food or gear in wilderness areas for more than 48 hours. 2) Someone I know setup caches for a ski traverse that never happened. Years later, they, finally they went to clean out the caches and found 1 out of 4 had been liberated (by bears or humans) If the cache location is *near* White Pass -- could you arrange to have it stored by the store and/or hotel at the pass?

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Malachai Constant
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Malachai Constant
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PostMon May 13, 2019 4:31 pm 
I have used a large ammo box with a steel band to keep the latch down. I put it well away from trails and roads and take a gps waypoint at the location. Never had any problems for a couple weeks. No smelly or fresh foods in a OP bag. Usually covered inside a hollow stump or the like.

"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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wolffie
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PostMon May 13, 2019 5:03 pm 
This is White Pass at Sauk River. Maybe I'd rather simply be a porter and hump an obscene load for the first several days... I might start calling my partner "Sahib".... and expect to be paid some pittance... I've not been here for a long time -- I notice that my Flickr photos seem to be gone, or don't work....

Some people have better things to do with their lives than walking the dog. Some don't.
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Trailhead
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Trailhead
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PostMon May 13, 2019 7:18 pm 
I've done it a couple of times with no problems.

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Damian
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PostMon May 13, 2019 7:43 pm 
No problems. Chances of bears disturbing are nil. Do it. It's a great strategy.

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kbatku
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kbatku
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PostMon May 13, 2019 8:03 pm 
About 6 years ago someone I know (cough cough) stashed a bunch of food hanging from a nylon bag in a tree near Indian Pass in anticipation of passing by on a section-hike of the PCT (Wa Section). This person's son became injured on the hike, necessitating a quick withdrawal from the trail and as far as this person knows the bag is still up there, because this person never had the gumption to go all the way back up there just to retrieve the bag. This person feels a lot of guilt and shame about the mess they left in the mountains because of their negligence and laziness. Don't be this person

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the1mitch
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PostThu May 16, 2019 11:48 pm 
Years ago I found a cache in a five gallon plastic bucket near White Pass. It had been there for at least three years. The contents were edible but a bit worse for wear. Propane bottle rusty but solid, wooden matches NG, cans of chili and stew were welcome. Obviously no critter intrusions.

illegitimi non carborundum!
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wolffie
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wolffie
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PostFri May 24, 2019 12:20 pm 
Thanks for this info. Maybe I could get away with an OPB inside a Bear Vault. With my luck, something would nix our trip, and I'd have to go back and retrieve it (and sell food to PCTers at criminal prices smile.gif. It's less work overall to just carry it all from Stevens. My partners are slow, so this will be a long trip. More than I've ever carried, except for climbing trips. I'm not 60 anymore, and I can tell.

Some people have better things to do with their lives than walking the dog. Some don't.
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