Virginia – Bear Activity – Laurel Creek Shelter
va
|central-virginia
|bear-activity
|hiking-safety
|Alert
10/04/2023
The ATC received a report of food-conditioned bears at Laurel Creek Shelter (NOBO mile 675.2). Several bears were involved, including a mother and cubs. One of the bears showed little fear of humans and displayed warning behavior (huffing, pawing at the ground, etc.). One of the bears also stole a pack. Hikers should exercise caution in this area, properly store food and scented items overnight, keep a clean camp, pack out all trash and food waste, and never leave food unattended – even for a moment such as a quick trip to the privy or to check out a view.
The ATC strongly recommends that all overnight hikers use a bear canister for the duration of their time on the Appalachian Trail (A.T.). Bear canisters are the surest and most flexible means of food storage for camping along the A.T. to ensure that bears do not access human food.
The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) recently released a new food storage order that requires hikers to properly store food, refuse, and scented items (animal attractants) when camping on national forest land along the A.T. south of Shenandoah National Park.
Learn more about bear canisters and bear safety on the A.T. here.
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