by Phil » Mon Feb 15, 2016 11:58 am
Hey Dale,
Those are going to be the High Sierra Camps, ie: tent cabins for those with reservations, but otherwise, backpacker's camps or selective sites nearby them for everyone else. You can't use the facilities (dining hall, showers), but you can share campsites with others if need be. It's not exactly first come, first served...but the better sites will go first, and in a few cases, you actually will just have to find room and make it work for everyone if it's crowded. Also with those HSCs, you're generally restricted on where you camp to pre-established sites within a radius anywhere from 1/4- 1 mile away. Close to some of the HSCs, you might have a fire ring at your site, but the areas have almost certainly been picked over for firewood pretty thoroughly, assuming you're below 9600 feet, and thereby allowed a fire at all. They're not the favorite spots for most backpackers, but if you need them, they're there. I try to plan around them, maybe passing through, or using their spigots for water when I need a chlorine fix, but I'm always going to try to find my own spot somewhere else. For the true wilderness experience, I would suggest you do the same. If you tell us about where you plan on or want to end up each day of your trip, I'm sure we can all give you plenty of suggestions on where to look for sites that are better alternatives.
With your pack, assuming you haven't spilled something scented all over it or there's no garbage and food residue, just open it up fully and leave it on the ground or preferably, in your tent vestibule. Leaving it open allows a bear to nose through it and hopefully not tear it to shreds if they want to check it out, and they know what they're after for the most part. I've had my pack poked at a fair amount, but In close to 40 years, I've only had my pack ripped apart once, and that was way back when we could still hang our food and I left some lunch trash in a side pocket, so the way I figure it retrospectively is, I asked for it. You don't need to hang your BV, just keep it and your food prep gear and cooking area clean and away from your tent. You might get a little anxious about it in some places with exceptionally pushy bears, but if you hear them and yell at them, they generally run off. Just keep your food and toiletries sealed properly and you shouldn't need to worry.