Bear boxes

We are big believers in bear boxes -- solid steel storage bins for food that have pretty much eliminated the bear problems in places like Yosemite and Lassen.

And we use them religiously both in campgrounds and at the trailhead.

On the other hand, they're only as effective as the people who use them. We once came back from a hike to discover the bear box where we had stored our food was standing wide open. Our food was still there, and untouched--testament to the fact that bears are no longer accustomed to getting food that way.

But apparently someone who had shared the bear box with us had removed their food and left it standing open, not seeing our package in the back of the box.

Yow.

As the rangers in Yosemite like to say, there is a substantial overlap between the intelligence level of the smartest bears and the dumbest people.