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CAMPFIRES, AND YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
There’s nothing like enjoying a campfire while camping out at your favorite lake. BUT, in the last three weeks I have found two campfires burning, and no one was around. Up at Upper Glidden Lakes, I hiked in to have dinner by the lake. During dinner, I noticed considerable trash laying about. After dinner as I was packing up to leave, I started picking up trash. As I reached for the trash in the fire pit, I felt the heat of a smoldering campfire. I dumped the trash out and ran down to the lake to get water to extinguish the ashes. It took three trips to the lake to put the fire out. Flash forward three weeks. While I was up at Upper Stevens Lake to assess the avalanche debris that has blocked the trail, I had my lunch next to the lake. There was a group of very polite young people, getting ready to head down the trail. I ate lunch with the always great views of the Stevens Peak massive. When I was done eating, I scanned the area for trash. There was very little to pick up. But then I started picking out unburned trash from the pit. And low and behold, the fire pit was smoldering hot. No I don’t know that it was left by the group of kids, but there was evidence that they tried to extinguish the fire, but did not finish the job. The moral of these stories is simple…..if you leave a fire, even smoldering, it can cause a fire that can destroy whole areas or forests. A single plastic grocery bag weighs only 6 grams. They can be used for trash pickup, dog and human poop removal, and for putting out fires, among many other uses. Because most grocery bags leak, they are perfect to transport water to the fire pit. All you have to do, is direct the leak onto the burning ashes. A plastic grocery bag can hold about 1.5 gallons of water. Even if it takes many trips to extinguish a fire, it’s worth the effort to save our natural wonders. So my advice to every hiker, paddler, backpacker, climber, camper, or Rv’er, is to carry many bags with you. They are light and can save entire forests from burning. The Stevens Peak and Lakes area are some of the best hiking, camping and scrambling areas around Spokane. This area last burned in 1923. It is filled with such beauty, it would be a shame to see it charred and wasted. While this BLOG is still on your mind, fold up 5 or 6 grocery bags, and put them in a ziplock for whatever use they are needed for. You too can be a hero. All you have to do is plan ahead. Thank you all for reading and using InlandNWRoutes.com, Chic David InlandNWRoutes.com
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On 6.14.24, I drove up to Upper Glidden Lake to have dinner by the lake.
The drive is way worse than the hike. Just take it slow. This hike starts a short distance from the Idaho Montana boarder, under some high voltage transmitting lines, east of Burke, Idaho. Trail#135 is only 1.2 miles in and has an elevation change of 191verts. Upon reaching the lake, I walked past several campsite, to get to the largest campsite. I took a few images, and sat down to eat my dinner. As I ate, I noticed that the previous campers/hikers left a mess around their campsite. When I was picking up assorted trash, I noticed that their campfire was still smoldering. I could feel the heat. The campers left their campfire burning, and it showed zero effort to extinguish it. I dumped my plastic grocery bag of trash out, and made several trips to the lake to get water. A grocery bag can be used for so many things. They tend to have holes in them, so they are great to extinguish a fire. However, on a return to the lake, I snagged my bag on a bush, hence it no longer could be use as a water bucket. So I headed out and stopped at the Shoshone County Sheriff’s office in Wallace, to alert them of the hazard. The sheriff’s office said they would contact the Idaho Department of Lands to handle the smoldering campfire. So, the moral of this story is simple. When you are in the mountains, take every precaution to assure that your campfire is dead out. And while you are at it, please clean up after yourself and others. It saddens me to think that people are so lazy and unprepared, that they can’t protect our forests. Plastic grocery bags can be used to pick up trash, pick up your dogs poop, extinguish fires, collect morels, organize your gear, and so much more, but not at the same time. Thank You for using InlandNWRoutes.com Chic David InlandNWRoutes.com EARLY SEASON HIKING
First know that this time of year is some of the best hiking. However, the sunny warm weather can fool us into thinking the high country is equally warm. Altho it is warmer, in the shade it can be much cooler. The other day at Lone Lake, as I was coming down, I came across a couple heading to the lake. They each had a small water bottle, half full, tennis shoes, tank top & T-shirt, and no other supplies or packs. (Ahead was a tenth of a mile trail washout, and 3-6 feet of snow. If the Spring, runoff is high, there is no way to keep dry. Creeks will flood your shoes/boots, foliage will get you clothes wet, and adverse weather can soak you to the bone, if you aren’t carrying appropriate gear. It will be near 90° on 6.8-9.24, but up at Lone Lake or any lake, the temps could be as low as 55-65°. If by chance the winds are up, let’s say it’s a moderate temperature, the windchill factor can lower the temps to uncomfortable levels. Even 5-10° cooler can chill you too much. HYPOTHERMIA is a condition that zaps the heat out of your body, and you may not even notice the change. Always observe yourself and your hiking partners for signs of Hypothermia. If they unzip their jackets, take off their gloves and caps, if they talk slow, or stumble while walking…STOP. Ask your other hiking partners, to assess the person. If they concur, act fast. You have very little time to help your friend(s). Get them bundled up. Put their gloves, caps, jackets on, and if you carry them, apply chemical body warmers to key arteries to warm them. Once in the American Selkirks on a hike to the Twins of the Seven Sisters, it was 92°. We stop in the shade of rocks for lunch. An odd storm blew in, and the temps drop about 25°. One girl on the hike, dressed in shorts, warm top, started going into Hypothermia. When the thunder started, she was cold. She thot the claps of thunder, were Bonners Ferry residents shooting artillery rounds at us. HYPOTHERMIA IS NO JOKE. Even on descent days, always carry what you need to get or stay warm. The below url will direct you to our MEDICAL INFORMATION section. https://www.inlandnwroutes.com/medical-information.html This section covers most of the weather related illnesses. An idea would be to take “screenshots” of the types of illnesses you may encounter. That wise, you have the tools to deal with hot, cold, or wet circumstances. As I have said many times….plan your trip in such a way, to be able to handle any conditions that pop up with you or your outing partners. That includes always having your 13 ESSENTIALS, handy. PLEASE…PLAN WELL AND BE PREPARED Chic David InlandNWRoutes.com |
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