[pct-l] question - fire

[AsABat]

What to do if a fires coming? Get out of the way! 

Never get above a fire, as fire moves very fast uphill. The tops of chimneys (gullies) are even worse. So moving downhill is *usually* better, but watch for burning logs and pine cones rolling down the hill. 

You can't outrun a fire driven by wind. Can you find a large safe area, rock slab, dirt clearing, pond. Even so, the temperature could still get you, or the gasses or low oxygen. 

Hikers usually wear nylon or poly clothing. When it burns, it melts on your skin. 

I called in a forest fire last year on the PCT. When I first saw the smoke I was concerned, as I continued I saw it was miles away, burning away from me. Dispatch said they already heard about it an hour earlier, and should be getting to it "soon". 




AsABat
PCT Water Reports Socal http://pct.4jeffrey.net 
Send water updates to water at 4jeffrey.net


juma <juma3 at cox.net> wrote:

typical pct-l...focusing on the imagined insults. I guess no one knows
what to do about an approaching fire. or are you two just trying to
tease me?)

On Fri, 2012-03-02 at 20:33 -0500, aslive at charter.net wrote:
> juma
> 
> I'm sorry, but I see no need to insult section hikers. Please be a bit 
> more respectful as we all use and love the trail. Just because not all 
> of us can just take off for six months to go hiking is no reason to 
> insult a whole demographic. There are many beer swilling thru-hikers 
> also and many a fire has been started by thru-hikers. This is not meant 
> to attack thru-hikers, just to set the record straight. I hope you did 
> not intend to insult and create divisions.
> 
> Shepherd
> 
> 
> On Fri, Mar 2, 2012 at 12:38 PM, juma wrote:
> 
> > Hey, what is the school solution if you suddenly smell smoke and see a
> > fire headed your way when you are out in the desert??
> >
> > I have no concern about how it may have been started by some careless,
> > beer carrying, slackpacking section hiker.
> >
> > juma
> >
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