The San Francisco Peaks have erupted:
http://inciweb.org/incident/photograph/1996/10/
It’s time like these that thoughts turn to how much beauty is sometimes dependent upon destruction. Geologically, in a land of vulcanism, it’s an utter requirement. But only nature is inscrutable enough to be given our blessing for it, or at least our begrudging acceptance. And this is no natural act.
blisterfree
Damn straight this was not natural!! Some fools leaving behind thier campfire left us with 16,000 plus acres of destruction and millions of dollars in lost local revenue during our tourist season.Not to mention they destroyed the backyard I live and PLAYED in. :mad
photon
Seriously just another reason having any campfire for any reason is just completely irresponsible. It’s dry as anything out there and these fools have to burn it all down. I saw so many people on PCT this year having fires in SoCal for no reason other then ambience. It’s pathetic to see long distance hikers around a fire at night. You should still be hiking if your awake. If you want to hang and its cold, just use your sleeping bags. I convinced a group not to have a fire, and we were fine all in our bags sitting at a picnic table just before Wrightwood this year. Lots more fun this way. Campfires are for weak people in general.
Penguin
The issue is actually fairly complex and doesn’t lend itself to a soundbite, although I do appreciate a good chuckle.
Campfires do sometimes serve a legitimate, some might say noble, purpose, and banning them categorically is neither appropriate nor practical. I do, however, tend the think the Forest Service can be less than proactive in issuing fire restrictions during times of high fire danger, which clearly applies this late spring and early summer in this part of the Southwest. Ultimately, though, it is impossible to restrain someone from exercising poor judgment in the backcountry, short of creating some sort of police state that would be equally ruinous in its own way.
So the problem is an existential one, and it expands to include the epidemics of years-long drought, increasing human population in a volatile changing landscape, increasing use of ever-shrinking wild places, and changing habits and attitudes (including ignorance and a lack of personal responsibility) that come with the broader spectrum of society using the resource.
blisterfree
I haven’t made a campfire in years. Seems like most places I stop don’t have wood to burn anyway. Usually I don’t cook food anymore or just use a cat/alcohol stove to boil some water. Hike while it’s light, sleep when it’s dark.
bowlegs