Woodsdrummer

Eric ,

I've been following your adventures for sometime now and as a fellow Sierra rambler what do you do when they (USFS) say open fires are banned. Is a "hobo" stove an open fire? Do you just figure that They won't see your fire (They do flybys at dusk in my neck of the woods)? Or do I just need to get a bit deeper into the woods?

The fine for disobedience I hear is kinda steep. What are your thoughts on THE PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF CALIFORNIA's policy on their fire restrictions? I'm for law & order but I don't feel I should be punished for idiot hatchetmen starting forest fires (i.e. the lost hunter near Redding that started a forest fire).

In a nutshell, how does a competent operator ethically have a fire when they (the USFS) says it's illegal? Any input would be appreciated.

signed ,

A Fellow Sierra Rambler

Dear FSR,

You didn’t state where you prefer to “ramble” when you’re in the Sierra but if the areas you frequent are some of the more popular and protected areas such Yosemite National Park, then I imagine they have to keep a tighter leash on people. Personally, I think it’s a good to have stricter regulations in those types of areas due to the thousands of tourists that pour through everyday that have never lit a campfire (no, Weber grills don’t count) in their lives.

I payed a visit to Yosemite over the summer and I feel the amount of people bustling about took away from my overall experience but then again I don’t enjoy crowds as it is. I did however learn more about how they’re using prescribed burning throughout the park in hopes of keeping the area in a more natural state but that’s another subject for another day.

Personally, I believe there need to be certain regulations set aside in order to keep the areas we enjoy from falling into the wrong hands. Here again, I don’t know how far back into the Sierra you travel, but where I go, I hardly ever see anyone. I can’t imagine how I’d feel seeing ATV’s ripping up the fragile meadows. And yes, I enjoy riding my dirt bike, but it doesn’t mean I should be allowed to ride it wherever I please just as people in automobiles shouldn’t be allowed to drive down the sidewalk.

The best advise I can offer to you right now is to continue what you’re doing by adhering to the rules. Find out ahead of time what types of fires are allowed including coffee can stoves. You can do this by stopping by (or calling) the ranger station in charge of the area you’ll be in. And since I’ve found that certain rangers can tend to view things from a slightly different angle, it wouldn’t hurt to have a few pages of regulations (hunting, campfires, etc.) printed off and tucked away in your pack just so you can have something to refer to if you’re ever confronted by a ranger in the field. In short, educate yourself.

One final word of advise is to keep your campfires small in size. Unless you’re trying to stay warm in a survival type situation, there’s really no need to have a blazing inferno.

California is a beautiful state, enjoy what she has to offer!

Hope this helps.

Eric