[pct-l] Fires

[Brick Robbins]

A few things:

Yes: humans cause more wildfires than lightning.
That doesn't mean thru hikers are causing the fires. One of the worst
fires in San Diego County was cause by sagging power lines, which was
"human caused." All things considered, thru hikers cause very little
impact on anything but the trail towns and trail angels during the
"surge" since compared to day hikers and weekenders and hunters, there
just aren't very many of us. That being said, we still need to do our
part to leave the trail as we find it.

Stoves with shutoff valves:
Each jurisdiction has its own rules. In SoCal the National Forests
generally require a shutoff valve on stoves. The BLM doesn't - they
just require the flame to be "contained." Since there are few (or no)
signs telling you on whose land you are, the easiest thing to do is
use a stove with a shuttoff everywhere - but this is not legally
required. The PCTA doesn't seem to like alcohol stoves, and their
documentation tends to overstate the restrictions. Just like their
"PCT thru hiker permit" is misleading because it is not required.

Campfires:
Illegal in almost So-Cal (roughly south of Kennedy Meadows) and in the
High Sierra in certain high use areas and above certain elevations -
these are clearly marked. If you are away from high use areas in the
northern sections of the trail, campfires aren't going to have much
impact, as long as you act responsibly.

General Fire Danger:
Much of the huge fire problem has been caused by human activity by
having a general policy of suppressing fires, which has cause a build
up of fuel, and leads to explosive fires. The SoCal drought has also
killed a bunch of trees, which adds to the problem.

Let's all be careful out there.