[pct-l] Fw: Permanent Campfire Ban on PCT?

Edward Anderson mendoridered at yahoo.com
Sat Sep 15 16:45:49 CDT 2012



 
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Edward Anderson <mendoridered at yahoo.com>
To: Diarmaid Harmon <irishharmon at comcast.net> 
Sent: Saturday, September 15, 2012 1:04 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Permanent Campfire Ban on PCT?
  

Hello Irish,
 
You made a good point in your second paragraph. And I do recall making a fire to dry my clothes after falling into Adams Creek in Washington. It was during my 2009 ride. I camped at a spot where there was an existing fire ring and lots of cleared space surrounding it. You did the right thing when you informed the two groups of hikers that their campfires were illegal.
 
I am very concerned (read paranoid) about human-caused fires on the PCT. During my 2008 PCT ride the PCT was closed in several places due to fires (not all were caused by hikers). The first was the Apathe Fire north of Fobes saddle. Then there was one north of Kennedy Meadows. Next, the PCT north of Sierra City was closed - I had to re-start from Burney Falls State Park. The last was the Marble Mountains - closed north of Etna Summit. In most cases I had to trailer my horse around and return the following year to do those Sections. Of course, I also passed through several places scared by past fires. Some of those fires had been started by careless people. When it is dry, and sometimes also windy, sparks can be blown from campfires and ultra-light alcohol stoves can be blown over - spreading liquid fuels that are already burning. 
 
The reason that I am so paranoid about fires comes from two major incidents in my past. The first was a Christmas fire in Chicago. the year was 1941. I was six years old. Our C. tree caught fire. My dad tried to drag it outside. He was overcome. My mom saved his life by dragging him out. He suffered bad burns and was in the hospital for many days. My dad had had a printing business. We lived behind it. All was lost. They were not insured. We moved to Los Angeles. I can remember camping across America. The second incident was in 1968. I was in the manufacturing business doing camper conversions for VW's. We had a factory in San Fernando, Ca. The factory, and several vans inside, were destroyed. The fire was set by an arsonist - paid by a competitor. 
 
Today, my wife and I live in the hills above Agua Dulce - not far from the PCT. The winds come from that direction. Highway 14 separates Agua Dulce from the mountains and the PCT from where a fire might come. That, and my past experiences, is why I'm more concerned than most. 
 
MendoRider 
 

________________________________
 From: Diarmaid Harmon <irishharmon at comcast.net>
To: 
Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net 
Sent: Saturday, September 15, 2012 9:39 AM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Permanent Campfire Ban on PCT?
  
I don't think a ban is feasible or enforceable. A couple of weeks ago I was backpacking in the Mt Hood area and that night 2 different sets of hikers had campfires going. There currently is a state wide ban on burning due to the high fire danger. Neither set of hikers was aware of it and only one group put their fire out when I informed them. 

In other times of the year those of us who hike year-round in the soggy northwest enjoy a nice campfire to warm up and dry out by.

Diarmaid "Irish" Harmon
irishharmon at comcast.net

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, Guinness in one hand, steak in the other, yell 'Holy Sh**, What a Ride!"


On Sep 15, 2012, at 7:56 AM, Jeffrey Olson wrote:

> A
 different take on this issue is that the PCTA and any organization or 
> person talking in public about hiking the PCT could be encouraged to 
> discourage building campfires except in emergency.
> 
> Prohibition doesn't work.
> 
> However, appealing to the ethical sense of thru-hikers might.  Sure 
> there will be "I'm in this for me" small minded hikers, but most people 
> get the destructiveness of fires, not just in terms of danger to the 
> forest in raging wildfires, but to the small world where firepits leave 
> scars that last for years and years.
> 
> There will always be selfish people, but most people can claim ignorance 
> - so let's just keep up the consciousness raising and support 
> campfireless hiking on the PCT...
> 
> Jeffrey Olson
> Rapid City, SD
> 
> On 9/15/2012 8:49 AM, Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes
 wrote:
>> I don't think that is workable. First of all, it has not been
>> determined that a PCT hiker's campfire caused the fire. Second, PCT
>> hikers aren't the only people hiking the PCT. There are hunters,
>> scouts, weekenders, and others. I suppose you could deprive the whole
>> world of the enjoyment of a campfire to quell the carelessness of a
>> few but that seems rather harsh. Not to mention that careless
>> campfire people are going to have campfires no matter what anybody
>> says about it and there's about a grand total of zero rangers out
>> there to enforce anything.
>> 
>> On Sep 14, 2012, at 10:00 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>> 
> 
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