New Food Cache at Gimli

Finally. The pack rat has been foiled! How many of us alpine enthusiasts trudged gear and food up to the base of Mt. Gimli only to have everything fall victim to Rattus norvegicus? My friend Josh had his T-shirt and climbing shoes chewed through when we were up there once. And my friend Dave and I literally had to beat the rat away from our dinner preparations two years ago.

Last year I finally took up a clothesline and tied it between two boulders about 100 metres south of the beach camp area. I was thoroughly entertained watching the rat try to jump up and grab hold of the straps dangling off my pack. But I didn’t sleep well that night wondering how long it would take for the clever critter to figure out a way to get to our stuff.

Thankfully those days are behind us now that the Access Society and BC Parks have joined forces to install a secure food storage locker at the Gimli camp site. The steel box is located about 50 metres south of the “beach” and about 45 metres south of the porta-potty, and is bolted to a large boulder.

The old rat-proof system – a steel-core clothesline that couldn't be chewed through

The new rat-proof system being installed by Dave Heagy of BC Parks, Nelson office

The new food cache locker is located about 50m south of the beach camp area