Another thing that I remember reading is that indians (maybe not all tribes) would eat their last meal at noon time. By the time it was time to go to sleep there wasn't any food odor to worry about. Another thing you might want to keep in mind is that bears love the rocks and animals use waterways as highways from one place to the next. I've only had one bad night with bears being to close for comfort and it still doesn't stop me from solo hiking 8 to 10 miles round trip. Just use common sence and wear a bear bell and carry bear spray (which only works well in extremely close quarters), a bear bomb ( a flare type device that shots a bright flash at the bear and produces a loud boom) or a large caliber gun and a knife. More often then not I only have a jack knife folded in my pocket. I actually worry more about coyotes and rabies then bears. Most of my hikes in the past couple of years have been bushwacks because I like to see the forest, not the trail cutting through it. I don't see much wildlife as it is and I would feel honored to see a bear in the wild as long as we both respect each others bounderies. Don't survive the woods, live with it. Swizzle