[pct-l] Campfires...

[calliger@infolane.com (Richard Calliger)]

Campfires in the Sierra-Nvada are currenlty outlawed in most areas
above 9600 feet and some above 9000 feet.

This is sufficient.  Burning "natural" wood fuel does not contribute
to the demiss of the enviro as compared to 200,000,000 plus cars in this
country!! Plus the emission content is still disastorus from autos
even with the new EPA regs.

Having modest and discrete campfires (not your beach blaze) helped
me in several thousands of miles of hiking and climbing...less fuel
I have carry = longer stay.  I wonder what the emissivity components
of your backpackign stoves are in terms of CO and the other hyrdocarbons
burning gasoline, kerosene and such (except alcohol) contribute.

I burn wood everyday of the winter in my house...going thru several
tons of oak, cedar, pine, etc.  With several thousand houses here
doing the same, there is no noticable difference in the air, as opposed
to SF Bay area and LA where u can cut the air with a knife most of the
day now becasue the AM and PM commutes have essentially merged into
one all-day affair.

Therefore, from purely subjective data (allbeit I am an engineer, and
can quantify this quite easily) we can safely
conclude that several thousands, if not tens of thousands of campfire
enthusaists, cannot even come close to competing with the auto and other
byproducts of the 21st century.

The only major exception to this would be places like Yosemiite Part
where the  huge valley holds the smoke most days until the wind
picks up...and there are not too many places like YNP that hold
the smoke that insidiously.

Rich

At 11:44 PM 8/28/02 EDT, Bighummel@aol.com wrote:
>I agree.  I had a campfire last summer in the Sierra while backpacking for
>the first time in years and years.  As much as the draw to the fire, and the
>childhood memories of Yosemite camping from the smell of the smoke made it a
>good experience the killing of star gazing and knowing the destruction of
>critical forest fuel near the tree line made me regret it.  I can do without
>a campfire while backpacking.
>
>Let's outlaw them in all areas outside of car-campsites.  It will do the
>biota, air and clear views a favor.  IMHO.
>
>Greg Hummel
>(in Sth Calif. where we haven't had a serious earthquake in too long!)
>
>
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