Warning: I thought the 'no fires' rule on the Enchantments thru-hike was just a suggestion.

My buddy and I planned to cook over a small fire last fall, but a ranger at the Snow Lakes trailhead checked our permit and said we'd get a $250 fine if we even tried. We used our tiny stove instead and honestly, waking up to that clean alpine air with zero smoke smell was way better. Anyone else had a trail rule they hated at first but ended up liking?

4 comments

4 Comments

matthew_patel686d ago

Honestly the whole no fire thing feels like overreach to me. That alpine air is nice but it's also freezing, and a small responsible fire is a basic camping comfort. People like @maryr43 who can't handle a fire shouldn't ruin it for everyone else. Rangers treat us all like kids when most of us know how to clear a proper pit and drown every coal. The rule just takes away a core part of the experience for no good reason.

nora_webb516d ago

Half a state park? Mary, that's a serious amount of land to nearly burn down. I have to side with the rangers on this one. A blanket rule is the only way to manage risk when the stakes are that high. It only takes one distracted person or a sudden wind change to cause a real disaster. The comfort of a fire isn't worth the potential cost to everyone else who uses those woods.

maryr437d ago

My first backpacking trip I nearly burned down half a state park trying to boil water. Learned the hard way that rules exist because of idiots like me. The quiet and clean smell you get without a fire really does grow on you. Now I get annoyed when I hike somewhere and catch a whiff of someone else's illegal smoke.

wyattramirez7d ago

Seems a bit dramatic to get annoyed over a little campfire smoke. Most people are careful and just want to enjoy their trip. The smell of woodsmoke is part of being outdoors for a lot of folks.