The Ethan Pond Dining Hall

[Waumbek]

I wanted a ramble through the Zealand area before the bridge closes down, so I headed out today and stopped by Ethan Pond to check out moose. None. I saw a big blue something up at the campsite so went up to check that out instead. It was a large blue tarp rigged up over a bunch of bench- and log-seats to form a kind of covered dining area. This "dining hall" really surprised me; I'd never seen anything like this before in a backcountry WMNF campsite. Then I learned that the tarp is not there for the comfort of campers per se but for the safety of the bears in that area. That is, the tarp and benches encourage campers to cook and eat in one spot, right near the bear boxes, not at all the different tent platforms, etc. Posted signs ask for that too. This probably makes it easier for the caretaker to police one area and remove stray food scraps rather than the whole campsite. It also encourages campers to stow their food immediately after use in the nearby bear boxes rather than to leave it out while they do other camp chores that may take them away from their food. Ethan Pond had gotten so bad that hikers who dropped their packs at the shelter to use the privy were coming back to find bears and squirrels already after the food in the packs! This year bear "visitation" at Ethan Pond is way down, and there are far fewer other little critters around. No mice in the shelter. Imagine! So, the big blue tarp does seem to serve a purpose strange as it was to see the "dining hall" out there.

 

[MichaelJ]

The big tarp and steel boxes have been there since at least this week in 2002. I recall a log bench or two but not nearly as nice and laid out as your picture shows.

 

[David Metsky]

I've got photos from 2003, it looked pretty similar although not quite as many benches.

-dave-

 

[sp1936]

They have a similar setup at 13 Falls, also a location notorious for bear activity.

Steve

 

[sapblatt]

Cooking area

I was at 13 Falls a few weeks back and the caretaker said that the cooking area was a big success...no real bear issues there in a few years.