Whenever the mention of bears comes up while backpacking, many people tend to get really scared at the idea they are co-habitating with these creatures. In the Blue Ridge Mountains the native species is the Black Bear. This may seem a little offputting at first, but you can reduce the likelihood of a bear sighting by following a few simple guidelines.
First and foremost you want to ask yourself what in your bag would attract a bear, this can include any type of smellable including but not limited to; food, toiletries, eating utensils, water flavoring packets even unopened, and even water bottles you have used with Gatorade packets. As you can see there are countless things that need to be addressed, this is why I suggest that you have one or two smaller stuff bags that you can keep your smellable items in.
Once you have all of your smellables in one place, you will want to tie them up so that they are out of reach for potential passing bears. It is important to get make sure these bags are far enough away from your campsite to keep a buffer area between you and your bear bag about 200 feet, as to prevent unwanted visitors. It is also advisable to get your bear bag at least 12' from the ground. You can do this by tying a rock to one end of a designated bear rope and tossing it over a branch as seen below.
The last thing you want to keep in mind is the direction of the bear bag and cooking area based on the wind direction. It is very important to have your campsite generally upwind from both your campsite and cooking area in order to keep any scents from getting to your campsite. This is the standard way to secure your food supply and smellable goods in the backcountry, depending on where you are going the location may have bear bins which bear proof and located on the ground. If you are unsure of weather or not to bring the materials for a bear bag it is always a good idea to do your research. It can never hurt to be over prepared when protecting yourself from bears.
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