Black Mountain

Being that Boulder Basin is closed this year and the weather is getting primed for bouldering I would like to mention a few things:

1) Fires are only permitted in fire rings in OPEN campsites. In this case it is only the group sites. 
2) Do not build illegal fire rings. I have seen a major uptick in them.
3) Park responsibly and carpool. Parking is even more limited this year.
4) Have fun

Take a look around when you drive up the 243. Fires aren’t a joke and the wilderness in which Black Mountain lies is very thick of fuel. People’s livelihood are in this area and it is now approaching full on fire season with higher winds. Also, being decent stewards of the area will keep it open- A line we all hear all the time l know. 

Black's been super crowded this month; more than I've ever seen.  People parked in ridiculous places, more trash than normal and tick marks all over.  

Hope they don't shut the whole place down before I can send my proj nawmean?

J Verg wrote:Take a look around when you drive up the 243. Fires aren’t a joke and the wilderness in which Black Mountain lies is very thick of fuel. People’s livelihood are in this area and it is now approaching full on fire season with higher winds. 

Why in the hell any public lands allow campfires at this time of year is beyond feckin’ belief. The only explanation is that the politics of fighting the public’s belief that they should be able to burn anything they want, at any time, is far more than funds-strapped land managers can deal with.
How many catastrophic fires does it take before someone says ‘NO MORE FIRES’, and patrols ghetto-crag-party places like Black Mtn or South Ridge?

apogee wrote:

Why in the hell any public lands allow campfires at this time of year is beyond feckin’ belief. The only explanation is that the politics of fighting the public’s belief that they should be able to burn anything they want, at any time, is far more than funds-strapped land managers can deal with.
How many catastrophic fires does it take before someone says ‘NO MORE FIRES’, and patrols ghetto-crag-party places like Black Mtn or South Ridge?

It wouldn’t be anywhere near as bad as it is if people were more abrasive towards it. Everyone bitches about it, but when they see some jack wagon burning shit they just turn a blind eye instead of telling them to put it out.

apogee wrote:

Why in the hell any public lands allow campfires at this time of year is beyond feckin’ belief. The only explanation is that the politics of fighting the public’s belief that they should be able to burn anything they want, at any time, is far more than funds-strapped land managers can deal with.
How many catastrophic fires does it take before someone says ‘NO MORE FIRES’, and patrols ghetto-crag-party places like Black Mtn or South Ridge?

As we know the Forest Service is strapped on funds. Which is why Boulder Basin is closed. The road looked great up there when it opened and peak season (summer). The Forest Service cites rain and flood damage to the road as to why it wasn’t open. However, I think they needed resources elsewhere and cleaning people’s trash/pit toilets at Black didn’t make the cut. 

The areas that currently still allow fires are:

Boulder Basin is listed which is very misleading in its own right.  I believe it is soil samples for moisture that dictates fire allowance but I may be wrong. Pine Cove and anywhere North is a tinder box that wants to explode. It’s beautiful wilderness, but insanely thick of all fuel types. 

I can deal with micro trash and dogs. But I dont want to look down and see a pile of ash and sticks because some bros wanted to have their own fire in their own handmade fire ring. A patrolling law enforcement ranger would throw down heavy citations for it...

Taken yesterday. 

*edited for grammar*

Justin S wrote:

It wouldn’t be anywhere near as bad as it is if people were more abrasive towards it. Everyone bitches about it, but when they see some jack wagon burning shit they just turn a blind eye instead of telling them to put it out.

I’m not up there at the group sites on the weekends to see this stuff, but I see the remnants of it during the week. What I have seen I’ve talked to people about. There’s strength in numbers, grab your buddies and talk to people.

There is something to be said though that not all of this crazy behavior are climbers. I was once up there with the Access Fund cleaning things and climbers were complaining about guys shooting semi autos right out of the yellow post group sites. Obviously gauge the danger level out of self preservation. 

Mike McQuilken wrote:

What if they looked like gang members who would shoot or stab you?

Regardless of what you look like I’m still going to tell you to put your fire out. If you don’t like it you can enjoy the nice fine the rangers are going to give you as they tell you the same thing. I’ve put a couple out up in big bear when I lived up there after arguing with people. My neighbors and myself didn’t pay 300+k for a house so some idiot can warm up by a fire instead of putting a jacket on or spending $20 on a legit site. 

"It wouldn’t be anywhere near as bad as it is if people were more abrasive towards it. Everyone bitches about it, but when they see some jack wagon burning shit they just turn a blind eye instead of telling them to put it out."

Believe you me, I've done exactly that for a number of abuses I've witnessed- most of the time, what you get is a 'fuck you, I'll do what I want to do' attitude. And as mentioned, these days in these mountains, there's no telling what kind of retribution will come your way from some of these douchebags.

" If you don’t like it you can enjoy the nice fine the rangers are going to give you as they tell you the same thing."

Maybe you can find a ranger up in Big Bear who will respond to this, but good luck finding one in the San Jacinto Ranger District (at least not when you need them).