[pct-l] Burn Bans

[Barry Teschlog]

Daniel Wrote:
Anyone have any idea how much of the PCT is under burn
bans in a typical year? (With the understanding that of course there's no
such thing as a "typical year.") I'd be interested in hearing how folks
generally handle lengthy (i.e., 75 or 100 or 200 miles straight) sections
of trail with no fires permitted.

Reply:
Don't know, and it doesn't really matter where there are "burn bans".  Fires aren't really needed on the PCT with extremely few exceptions.  People should choose to refrain from having fires, no matter if the authorities allow it.  A scorched patch of earth, blackened and scorched rocks, piles of embers, hunks of charcoal, and disturbed down fall is not "Leave No Trace".  It's leaving a huge trace that will persist for years.


So, how doesn't one handle it?  Easy, don't expect to have a fire, ever.  Have shelter, clothing and sleeping bag sufficient to stay warm and dry in all conditions.  Carry a stove for cooking.  Carry a headlamp for light in camp.  And have the attitude and fortitude to do without.  Besides, fires are a lot of work.  It's far less effort to fire up the stove for a hot meal or drink, and then to crawl into a warm sleeping bag to keep toasty, than it is to gather wood, find a suitable spot, light and tend the fire, then insure it's actually DEAD OUT, cold to the touch before you leave.  


You won't need a fire in So Cal.  In fact, I'd hope some one would come along and pour water on any fires they see in So Cal.  Enough of that terrain burns annually due to natural causes, there's no need to help things along with any more human caused fires.

In the high Sierra, there's no wood, or the wood that is there in the valleys should be left to rot naturally in the slow growth alpine environment.

By the time you get to the greater Tahoe area, it'll be full on summer which should last you well into Oregon.  Warm temps = no need for a fire.

Here in Washington, there are fire restrictions around most alpine lakes - no fires ever within 1/2 mile is pretty typical.  Add to that, there are permanent elevation restrictions to spare the fragile alpine environment (e.g. no fires above 3,000 or 4,000 feet - that encompasses most of the PCT in Washington).  In the 2012 maintenance season, there was extreme fire danger here in Washington as well (yes, in the land of rain, it occasionally doesn't for extended periods).  At times, our trail crew either had to wrap up our power tool use by 1:00PM, or were restricted entirely from using power tools (chain saws and power brush cutters) due to dry conditions and low humidity.  You'll walk through some burn out areas here - some from 20-30 years ago, some only a couple years old.  Don't create any more of them.


About the only exception to "no fires, period" I could think of that could remotely be considered justifiable would be if you let yourself get into a survival type situation.  Say it's 35 degrees and raining and you messed up and let your down sleeping bag get soaked during the day.  Assuming you could get a fire going in those conditions in a safe location, I wouldn't yell at you if I came across you - heck, I'd probably give you what extra clothes I could spare for the night and help heat water for you.  Much beyond an extreme situation like that - there's no need for camp fires on the PCT.

Please, for the sake of the trail, save the fires for the state park car camp in the big metal ring with a locally sourced bundle of fire wood.