Читать книгу Backpacking Arizona. From Deep Canyons to Sky Islands онлайн

10 страница из 56

If you do build a campfire, never leave it unattended. Before leaving camp, put your fire out completely. To do this, mix the coals with water repeatedly until there is no heat or smoke, then feel the ashes with your hands to make certain it is out. If you can’t do this, your fire is not out. If you don’t have enough water, use dirt. This accomplishes the same thing as water but takes longer. Never leave a campfire or bury it in dirt. Campfires can easily escape from under a layer of dirt. Abandoned campfires have caused some of Arizona’s worst wildfires, including one that burned the entire Four Peaks Wilderness in 1966: more than 60,000 acres were burned. Smoking is another common cause of wildfires. In the national forests, it is illegal to smoke while traveling along the trails or cross-country. Smokers are required to stop and clear a two-foot circle to bare earth, and then make certain that all smoking materials are extinguished before leaving.

Superstition Wilderness

Once away from facilities, most people have little knowledge of basic human sanitation. Fortunately, the word has spread among backpackers and most seem to know what to do, but Arizona’s dry climate warrants special consideration. Since springs, water pockets, creeks, and rivers are especially precious here, make an extra effort to answer the call of nature at least one hundred yards from any water, preferably further. The normal practice of digging a small “cat hole” for your waste works well, except in barren, sandy soil. Try to find a spot where the soil is rich in organic material, if possible. Most rangers and land managers now recommend that all used toilet paper should be carried out. It is slow to degrade in the dry climate, and burning it poses an unacceptable fire hazard much of the year. Pack it out in doubled zipper plastic bags, and add a bit of baking soda to control the odor.