Nate's Question:
Karen, I am considering hiking the Appalachian Trail and have read a few books on the subject. One thing that I encounter is that none of the books say how to store food at night. I have always used bear bags, but want to cut down on weight by not bringing a rope along. I have hiked through part of the Virginia AT, and was harassed by animals all night because we didn't bear-bag it.

Any advice?

— Nate Ivanick

Karen's Answer:
Nate,

Hi, Nate. You've got two issues here—bears and little critters. Let's talk about them separately.

	Karen Berger Karen is a hiker's hiker. She has finished the Appalachian, Pacific Crest and Continental Divide Trails — making her one of the few who've completed hiking's"triple crown." Meet Karen Previous Answers Hiking Forums

Most thru-hikers don't carry rope on the Appalachian Trail for bear-bagging. Partly, this is because so many thru-hikers stay in shelters, where they typically hang their food bags from nails in the walls or beams of the lean-tos. While black bears are found along much of the Appalachian Trail, it's very rare for them to come into lean-tos to steal hikers' food (although it is possible). There are some places where bears are more common than others, notably Shenandoah National Park, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey (believe it or not). In those places, especially if you are tent-camping, you might want to hang your food. Instead of heavy rope, you can try to use a length of lightweight cord. In the Smokies, where bears are also common, the National Park Service has come up with a unique solution: the shelters are actually surrounded by chain link fencing - putting hikers in a sort of cage (it's the reverse of a zoo!).

It's far more common for AT hikers to have food stolen by mice, which scurry around the shelters at night. Raccoons and porcupines will also make an appearance. To foil them, hang your food from a nail, or better yet, from one of the anti-mouse contraptions you'll see in the lean-tos. These are made of string, a can, and a stick. Mice can't climb down over the can, so your food hangs safely undisturbed. Most of the time.

Be sure to take all your food out of your pack, leave the zippers open, and hang the pack from a nail, too. In porcupine country, you should also hang your boots, since porcupines are attracted to salt.

When tenting, I usually hang food bags from tree branches to keep it off the ground and away from small animals. This usually works just fine. But as you learned, in popular campsites, animals may well come round expect their nightly snack. Another strategy is to camp off the beaten track, in less used sites where animals are less likely to have developed thieving habits.

Good luck and have fun.