[pct-l] Campsite evidence (trail debris)

[Douglas Tow]

I love sitting and sleeping comfortably, and found myself drawn to those
trail-proximate campsites created by hikers and campers, as they often had
stumps and limbs rearranged for sitting, and flat spots perfect for tents,
many of which had been engineered for that purpose.

They are almost irresistible.

I try here to make a case for hikers to resist these places.  The PCTA and
the bodies overseeing the lands that the PCT travels across all spend time
and money both advocating against them, and converting them back to a
natural condition.

1.  If it looks man-made, stay away (public developed campsites and
campgrounds excepted).
2.  If it looks other than naturally occurring after you camp there, you
either should not have camped there, or you altered the site.
3.  Referencing #2 above, avoid moving anything, digging or scraping, or
camping on living things.  Grasses and mosses beckon, but it doesn't take
too many folks to destroy what may take years to recover.
4.  Any fires that contact the ground violate these principles.
5.  If you need a fire for warmth, you are not properly equipped, or do not
know how to manage in adverse conditions.  If you built a fire to protect
yourself or someone else from hypothermia, no one will tell you that you
shouldn't have, but that doesn't mean that you hiked responsibly.  Finally,
if you think that fire is your backstop against hypothermia, ask your next
of kin to invite me to your wake.

Best to all in the 2015 season,

Chipmunk