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jowybyo
Oct 22, 2012, 2:33 PM
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Let me start by saying this is obviously my fault for not considering this but I wanted to know if anyone has ever had the same experience I had this weekend.
So I hiked to the Reflector Oven area of Old Rag this weekend with a 45 lb pack full of climbing and camping gear. Anyone familiar with Old Rag knows how much of a pain this is.
I laid out all my climbing gear on a safe looking rock for the evening and went to sleep. In the morning I was looking over my gear and noticed my rope was chewed more than half way through in 2 different locations. Also, a piece of webbing was chewed up too.
I should have put my gear inside the tent with me, but I didn't consider an animal chewing up my gear.
Needless to say it hindered my climbing day and made a long, difficult hike/approach nearly worthless.
Lesson learned. Anyone else ever have an animal chew up their gear on a camping/climbing trip?
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csproul
Oct 22, 2012, 8:13 PM
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jowybyo wrote: Let me start by saying this is obviously my fault for not considering this but I wanted to know if anyone has ever had the same experience I had this weekend. So I hiked to the Reflector Oven area of Old Rag this weekend with a 45 lb pack full of climbing and camping gear. Anyone familiar with Old Rag knows how much of a pain this is. I laid out all my climbing gear on a safe looking rock for the evening and went to sleep. In the morning I was looking over my gear and noticed my rope was chewed more than half way through in 2 different locations. Also, a piece of webbing was chewed up too. I should have put my gear inside the tent with me, but I didn't consider an animal chewing up my gear. Needless to say it hindered my climbing day and made a long, difficult hike/approach nearly worthless. Lesson learned. Anyone else ever have an animal chew up their gear on a camping/climbing trip?
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granite_grrl
Oct 22, 2012, 8:32 PM
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jowybyo wrote: Let me start by saying this is obviously my fault for not considering this but I wanted to know if anyone has ever had the same experience I had this weekend. So I hiked to the Reflector Oven area of Old Rag this weekend with a 45 lb pack full of climbing and camping gear. Anyone familiar with Old Rag knows how much of a pain this is. I laid out all my climbing gear on a safe looking rock for the evening and went to sleep. In the morning I was looking over my gear and noticed my rope was chewed more than half way through in 2 different locations. Also, a piece of webbing was chewed up too. I should have put my gear inside the tent with me, but I didn't consider an animal chewing up my gear. Needless to say it hindered my climbing day and made a long, difficult hike/approach nearly worthless. Lesson learned. Anyone else ever have an animal chew up their gear on a camping/climbing trip?
This stoy illustraits why it is so important to inspect fixed webbing before rapping on it. Just don't clip and go...make sure some rodent didn't chew on that section hidden at the back of the tree!
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edge
Oct 22, 2012, 8:53 PM
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I've had a couple varmint encounters, but never with a piece of critical gear.
The first was bivvyling in the Lower Saddle of the Grand Teton after summitting via the Upper Exum. We had made the climb last minute, and so stocked up on a few groceries and just stuffed the whole paper bag in my pack for the hike in. I was awakened that night by some strange rustling sound, and after confirming that my partner was asleep, I grabbed my headlamp and turned it on. A pika had gotten inside our tent (??? it was zipped up...) and poked his head out of the top of the bag and away from his free smorgasbord. I opened the door and flung him outside with a quick but gentle backhand.
The other time I was camping in Camp 4 in Yosemite. I returned to my tent after a day of climbing to find that either a chipmunk or mouse had chewed a small hole in the lower wall of the tent, ate a bag of peanut M&Ms that I had foolishly left there, left a few shits, then exited by chewing a second hole on the opposite side of the tent. Why couldn't he have left the same way he came in?
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robdotcalm
Oct 22, 2012, 8:55 PM
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Yes, forgot my helmet at the base of a climb at Vedauwoo. When I came back the next day, chin-strap and padding chewed up.
r.c
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milesenoell
Oct 22, 2012, 9:06 PM
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Around here porcupines will eat anything they think has salt in it, which includes rubber.
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hugepedro
Oct 22, 2012, 9:54 PM
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A pika once walked right up to me and started chewing on my trail runners, while I was wearing them. I even got the camera out and snapped a couple pics of him, he didn't mind.
And in a marmot infested area I took everything out of my tent, except my Thermarest. Spent a couple cold hard nights for that one, fucking marmots.
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sandstone
Oct 22, 2012, 10:33 PM
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Once while camping at Looking Glass a mouse bored through my pack, through a shirt, through a stuffsack, through a ziplock, to get to a little bag of trail mix.
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notapplicable
Jan 26, 2013, 11:33 PM
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The chipmunks who chewed your gear actually work for Park Service. They are there to enforce the no camping rules above 2800 ft.
Next time, read the signs and respect the rules!
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jowybyo
Jan 27, 2013, 12:05 AM
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According to the topography map, Reflector Oven is below the 2800'.
Thanks.
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notapplicable
Jan 27, 2013, 12:23 AM
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jowybyo wrote: According to the topography map, Reflector Oven is below the 2800'. Thanks.
I'm headed there tomorrow to do some stuff at Lower Gods & TWTDAMO. I will take the GPS and report back on this claim.
Case pending!
(This post was edited by notapplicable on Jan 27, 2013, 12:24 AM)
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jowybyo
Jan 27, 2013, 12:44 AM
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Sounds good. Make sure you go in the "cave" (the huge leaning slab that forms a cave). That's where I setup. I'm pretty sure it's closer to 2600'. Let me know.
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shockabuku
Jan 27, 2013, 2:45 AM
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Ground squirrel went through the cap of my daughter's pack to get at some food while we were at Eldorado Canyon one day.
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papapetro
Jan 27, 2013, 2:50 AM
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A friend of mine left his rope, in a bag, at the base of the first tier at Clark Mountain. In the morning we returned to an annihilated rope. Since then I have left my gear hanging from a low bolt and have had no problems (not that those rodents couldn't climb up to it).Also my climbing pack has a quarter sized hole in it from varmints accessing my sunflower seeds. At Clark it is also common for people to stash their gear in Rubbermaid totes for the season and this is not a problem because parties that venture to Clark are few and respect others property, I wouldn't risk leaving my gear at heavily frequented crags.
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theguy
Jan 27, 2013, 3:11 AM
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Left sweat-soaked shirts out to dry overnight at Little Yosemite campground, had large holes by morning.
Forgot about this and left empty open backpack out to dry overnight on Lost Coast backpacking trip, had small holes by morning.
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atdrennen
Jan 27, 2013, 3:25 AM
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Thankfully never had rodents get on to critical gear. But - when I was probably 14 and on a backpacking trip I had some mice eat and burrow into my pack.
I got home and was unpacking to discover they had given birth to a *litter? of baby mice in my clothes
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USnavy
Jan 27, 2013, 5:45 AM
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jowybyo wrote: Let me start by saying this is obviously my fault for not considering this but I wanted to know if anyone has ever had the same experience I had this weekend. So I hiked to the Reflector Oven area of Old Rag this weekend with a 45 lb pack full of climbing and camping gear. Anyone familiar with Old Rag knows how much of a pain this is. I laid out all my climbing gear on a safe looking rock for the evening and went to sleep. In the morning I was looking over my gear and noticed my rope was chewed more than half way through in 2 different locations. Also, a piece of webbing was chewed up too. I should have put my gear inside the tent with me, but I didn't consider an animal chewing up my gear. Needless to say it hindered my climbing day and made a long, difficult hike/approach nearly worthless. Lesson learned. Anyone else ever have an animal chew up their gear on a camping/climbing trip?
(This post was edited by USnavy on Jan 27, 2013, 5:47 AM)
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jowybyo
Jan 29, 2013, 8:23 PM
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What did the GPS say?
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notapplicable
Jan 29, 2013, 8:54 PM
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jowybyo wrote: What did the GPS say?
HA! I dont even have a gps, I was just talkin shit.
Didnt make it that far anyway. Everything was covered in snow so we spent the day bouldering. Only made it about half way up the weaklyhollow trail.
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dreday3000
Feb 5, 2013, 7:20 PM
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notapplicable wrote: jowybyo wrote: What did the GPS say? HA! I dont even have a gps, I was just talkin shit. Didnt make it that far anyway. Everything was covered in snow so we spent the day bouldering. Only made it about half way up the weaklyhollow trail.
I'd also be interested to know if the Reflector Oven is below the 2800 ft limit. My guess is that it probably is, but would love some get a hard confirmation. If anyone knows, please pipe up.
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