Bear Canisters for night hikes
I forgot to post this after I hiked the Bob Marshall Traverse, but this will apply to anyone who hikes through the night without camping. I encountered a forest ranger in the morning, and she began asking where I camped and where my bear can was. I explained I had been dropped off the night before to hike through the night and had no intention of camping so I did not bring a bear can, to which she replied that bear cans are required for all overnight users, whether you camp or not. This is tricky because all the signs say they are required for overnight campers, leading me to believe I was fine since I was moving the whole time. But, in the New York code about this, it defines overnight campers as those “who stay or intend to stay in the Eastern High Peaks Zone during the night.” Therefore, it seems that all hiking activity in the Eastern High Peaks during the night requires a bear can to avoid getting fined. The ranger did let me go with a warning fortunately, and she said that smaller sizes of cans are acceptable. Anyways, I thought this was interesting and figured I would share in case anyone else likes to hike overnight.
If this is the case I would consider it extreme. So does this mean if I start my hike at 2 or 3am I am required to carry a canister? I have never camped overnight and don’t even own a canister. I respect the rangers and the job that they do. But I consider this silly. I guess I will take the fine if this is in fact getting enforced.