PaddleWise by thread

From: Chuck Holst <CHUCK_at_multitech.com> subject: [Paddlewise] Hanging Food Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 11:48:19 -0600 · This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:32:56 PDT

>>
Your post reminded me of the several times I have had a LOT of food to
string up -- maybe up to 80 lbs, and boy did I want a pulley to run that
rope through instead of running it across a limb!

How do you get the pulley into position, and how do you then string the
rope through it?  And, then, how do you retrieve the pulley (etc.)?    Where
I sea kayak, we can not climb the trees.
>>

I once debated Cliff Jacobson in the pages of HUT! (Minnesota Canoe
Association) on the merits of hanging food versus bagging it in
plastic and hiding it on the ground. He was too stubborn to admit
that there was ANY merit to hanging food. <g> Nonetheless, the
following system that I devised for hanging food in the Boundary
Waters has worked for me:

For black bears, you should hang food at least ten feet off the
ground, five feet below the limb it is suspended from, and six
feet from the nearest tree trunk.

Purchase two lightweight, *non-stretch* ropes (such as Dacron sailing
line). One should be about 80 feet; the other can be only 50 feet.
While you are at the sailing shop, also purchase two lightweight but
strong blocks, or pullies. The cheapest ones, designed for small
sailboats, should be more than strong enough. One should have a becket,
or loop for tying line to, in addition to the usual shackle. Reeve
(thread) the 50-foot line through the blocks. Start by tying one end of
the line to the becket on the top block, run it through the bottom
block, then back up through the top block and down again. It will also
help to attach a caribiner or other clip to the shackle on the bottom
block.

Carry this block and tackle arrangement separately from the 80-foot
line. In camp, find a couple of trees about 15 to 20 feet apart with
limbs or even stubs of limbs at least 15 feet off the ground that
have enough clearance to throw a line over. (It is easier in the
Boundary Waters to find two trees with these characteristics than one
perfect tree for hanging food.) Tie a rock to one end of the 80-foot
line, throw it over a branch on the first tree, and tie it off. Be
careful of misplaced rocks bouncing back at you from the tree trunk.

Thread the other end of the first line through the shackle on the top
block of the second line, then tie a rock to the free end of the first
line and throw it over a limb on the second tree. Pull the first line
as tight as you can, raising the block and tackle high into the air.
(Make sure the bottom block dangles within reach, however.) Tie off the
first line.

You now have a line tightly stretched between two trees 15 or 20 feet
in the air with block and tackle hanging from it. Whip the second line
back and forth to move the top block to the center of the first line.
Put your weight on it to test it. The first line will sag somewhat,
but hopefully not so much as to bring the pack within reach of a bear.
To use it, simply clip your food pack or packs to the bottom block,
haul them up, and tie off the line.

If you do find a tree with one perfect limb for hanging food, you can
tie the first line to the shackle of the top block, throw the other
end over the limb, and then use it to raise the block and tackle close
to the limb.

This two-rope system has two advantages: (1) You can hang your food
from a more diverse arrangement of trees, and (2) you are less likely
to hang the food where the bear is used to finding it.

Chuck Holst

***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************