I don't know if the bears are roaming the Portal, but at this time of year, there is no excuse not to use the Bear Boxes...they'll be mostly empty because of the limited number of people up there right now...
I've seen evidence of bears up the NF, so use a canister, or at least hang your food...if the Marmots are out, they're more of a threat to ruin your trip than bears...
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