[pct-l] permit issues

[pcnst2@xxxxxxxxxxxx (David hiking PCNST in bits)]

> The questions about individual permits make me want clarification about the
> single permit issued through PCTA for those going over 500 miles, plus 2
> other different "permits".

The PCTA permit is a jumbo Federal wilderness permit, like having all
the separate Federal wilderness permits, and thus the general campfire permits
within the Federal wilderness areas
that the Federal wilderness permits would imply (outside Southern California).
Well what about campfires on Federal land outside wildernesses?   I'm not
sure about that.    As a practical matter, I've never been asked to
show a campfire permit in a non-wilderness Federal area in Northern California
or Pacific Northwest.

As a federal wilderness permit it doesn't give you
camping rights in Mt San Jacinto STATE wilderness, nor does it giving you
parking rights in southern california or pacific northwest trailhead areas -
each of these have their separate annual or daily pass requirements.
I think Southern California and Pacific Northwest are both around $30 for
an annual permit.    So far, Northern California has not subscribed to this
concept.    They are for National Forests only, no good in National Parks
or state land.

I had a discussion last year with some through hikers
at Apache Springs about whether their PCTA
wilderness permit amounted to a general campfire permit in Southern California
only.
My impression is that there is no such thing as a general
USFS campfire permit for Southern California - all campfire permits are for
a specific time and place (in Northern California and probably PNW you can
get an annual campfire permit but, during periods of high fire danger,
it might not apply).    Stoves usually don't count as campfires, except again
in periods of very high fire danger.    Of course in periods of very high
fire danger, the forest may be closed completely, and your wilderness permit
doesn't help you.     Extreme fire danger closures are one of the impediments
for southbound through hikers who tend to arrive in Southern California
at the worst possible time.    As a practical matter, if you can start a
campfire in Southern California, you are probably in a high fire danger
period, as the many blackened miles along the southern PCT remind you.