Bagging for Bears

Bearbagging is actually what you do to your bags so that the bear doesn't get all your food. It involves trees, a small rock, and many ropes and pulleys. It is made easier by a strong arm, good aim, and a lone, stout tree branch right where you want it.

The first time we did it, any bear larger than a cub could have reached up, swatted our food bag down to the ground, and eaten all our food. Luckily for us, we didn't see a bear on that trip. Nor have we seen one since. However, we continue to bag our food every time to keep our streak going.

Last year we had our best bear bag ever. It was a classic two-tree system and it looked like the picture in the diagrams, which it never has before. I'm not sure this photo shows how impressive it was, but it's far away from both the tree and the ground, which is important because bears can climb trees.

We can only hope that last year was all about skill and this year we will just keep improving.