Southern California is extremely dry right now. This is the second low snow year in the Sierras and every single hiker is referring to the PCT Water Report as if it was holy scripture. Our lives are centered around water and when we are next going to find it. Two days ago I traveled a mile off trail, down into a canyon, simply to collect 3.5 liters of water from a reliable spring. And then, I carried that plus the 2.5 liters I left at the top of that side trail the rest of the day and into the next afternoon to insure I stayed well hydrated during my climbs in the San Jacinto area. Six liters of water is no small amount of weight, comrades.

So, as you would expect with so much dryness there is a fire ban in effect for this portion of the PCT. And yet, there are people who are snubbing their nose at common sense and ignoring the signs around them. I have seen two campfires and a half dozen cigarette butts on the trail in the past week. Already there have been two significant fires impacting the trail, one of which was caused by a hiker who did not effectively put out their fire before going to bed. This is concerning. Little to no recent precipitation, high winds, reckless people ignoring common sense, and two significant fires at the beginning of the hiker season. Hell, we just got into May and are only 180 miles into the trail.

It also makes me a bit angry. I am a big advocate of Leave No Trace principles. There are too many people in the wilderness to recklessly treat it as a disposable or infinitely abusable commodity. I love being outside. I love sharing the wilderness with others. But safely, with an eye towards impacting it as minimally as possibly so that future generations can enjoy it as we do. And, I really despise the fact that I might need to remind inconsiderate people to use that glucose and oxygen hogging organ in their skull to dredge up a little bit of common sense.

I am bitching a bit, I know (wait until I talk about blisters!) but when you are walking through an environment where three quarters of the cacti look to be dead and you hear about a recently contained fire just a couple days ahead, you really wonder about people who are either dumb or reckless enough to endanger themselves and others.

(All Mixed Metaphors and grammar mistakes provided by "Oh shit, 15 minutes left on the Library Computer!")