JTree Hobbit Hole Bonfires: Rangers Seeking Information

Dow Williams - not that I have the familiarity over years that you do but …

My first trip to JTree was 20 years ago.  I’ve gone for a week once and sometimes twice a year for most of that.  Still - a much shorter history than others. And, yes, the large nearby population centers are a factor. I hated to see the west entrance being expanded to handle more volume. The only upside I see is if more people become advocates of the wilderness with their votes.

Those first-come-first-serve central campgrounds were definitely a major stress-er for those from out of state. We once escaped a frazzled first day looking for a site, driving back out to BLM camping S of I-10 … what a relief, I still recall the feeling of solitude next to huge blooming ocotillos in a camp chair with beverage.

The character of those central campgrounds has significantly changed with the reservation system. I can’t say it is all for the better. Unfortunate are the ones who don’t have the resources and predictable schedule about their next landing place in the wilderness. But it has certainly nice to not have a ranger in the morning yelling out about ill-parked cars being towed if owners don’t show up.

I do think recent changes have been for the better: the climbing ranger, the reservable camp sites in central JTree. It isn’t perfect.  And there  are rangers who think every climb should be safely bolted. Bleh.

And, yeah, I’ve never met a ranger other than at a visitor center, guided tour, or in a campground.  That part seems good to me on balance as well.

Last, about the original post, I suspect this bon fire season there will be active effort to better control them. Head out to BLM land outside and S of I-10 to reenact the good old days for a night? I don’t know. It is a long drive out there.

There may be substitutes for inside the park. Last fall, we had an electric light show down the road on rocks at Jumbo Rocks campground. And there was a big party a few camps over with amazing Halloween decorations - all women group as I recall.

Tradiban wrote:

I love how you worked in “led or soled”.

It just means he don't climb no barefooted. He has a home... as opposed to a cave on his mom's property.

I want to report a thoughtcrime I witnessed where a bunch of climbers who live seasonally, following the weather, talked about ditching the send temps in favor of standing around a bonfire when it’s 90 degrees at midnight. They truly were conspiring it was scary and far too absurd for me and I just need to report it before it starts an actual fire. 

The Dirtpoem wrote:

I want to report a thoughtcrime …

Ha ha. My wife was once in a jury involving a bunch of kids in daddy’s pickup truck that overturned taking a corner.  The line of jury questioning during jury selection went into the realm of what the driver was thinking.

My wife’s response was “Is he on trial for what he thought or what he did?”

She was not excused from being on the jury.

Bill Lawry wrote:

Dow Williams - not that I have the familiarity over years that you do but …

My first trip to JTree was 20 years ago.  I’ve gone for a week once and sometimes twice a year for most of that.  Still - a much shorter history than others. And, yes, the large nearby population centers are a factor. I hated to see the west entrance being expanded to handle more volume. The only upside I see is if more people become advocates of the wilderness with their votes.

Those first-come-first-serve central campgrounds were definitely a major stress-er for those from out of state. We once escaped a frazzled first day looking for a site, driving back out to BLM camping S of I-10 … what a relief, I still recall the feeling of solitude next to huge blooming ocotillos in a camp chair with beverage.

The character of those central campgrounds has significantly changed with the reservation system. I can’t say it is all for the better. Unfortunate are the ones who don’t have the resources and predictable schedule about their next landing place in the wilderness. But it has certainly nice to not have a ranger in the morning yelling out about ill-parked cars being towed if owners don’t show up.

I do think recent changes have been for the better: the climbing ranger, the reservable camp sites in central JTree. It isn’t perfect.  And there  are rangers who think every climb should be safely bolted. Bleh.

And, yeah, I’ve never met a ranger other than at a visitor center, guided tour, or in a campground.  That part seems good to me on balance as well.

Last, about the original post, I suspect this bon fire season there will be active effort to better control them. Head out to BLM land outside and S of I-10 to reenact the good old days for a night? I don’t know. It is a long drive out there.

There may be substitutes for inside the park. Last fall, we had an electric light show down the road on rocks at Jumbo Rocks campground. And there was a big party a few camps over with amazing Halloween decorations - all women group as I recall.

Please dont come to the next bonfire and tell stories ok?

Dow Williams wrote:

Joshua Tree National Park has not been managed responsibly during the past 20 years.  I have led or soled well over a 1000 routes in the park involving who knows how many days hiking to every corner and remote spot imaginable.  I have never encountered a ranger of any kind out of their truck, parking lot or trail head.  Never.  

I find this so interesting, especially considering I have met a freaking boat load of rangers in the park. 

I have some suspects names I’d like to alert law enforcement to

Here’s the list

https://youtu.be/dwYtFt4agqo

ZT G wrote:

I have some suspects names I’d like to alert law enforcement to

Here’s the list

https://youtu.be/dwYtFt4agqo

Grow up man. Here's a video from a bonfire in 2021, I know for a fact its the same folks hosting. Maybe you can piece it together from there. 

https://youtu.be/xfr64zoBTAQ

John Tex wrote:

Grow up man. Here's a video from a bonfire in 2021, I know for a fact its the same folks hosting. Maybe you can piece it together from there. 

https://youtu.be/xfr64zoBTAQ

Who are these “folks”!?

Both of you guys need to grow up! Here’s the actual incriminating footage…

  youtu.be/RMXCopL23U8

John Tex wrote:

Grow up man. Here's a video from a bonfire in 2021, I know for a fact its the same folks hosting. Maybe you can piece it together from there. 

https://youtu.be/xfr64zoBTAQ

I think we’d get along really really well 

All of this would have been better with some LEO threats

https://youtu.be/Flt9K8vlJGE

It's a shame this kind of stuff happens so often. The park is mostly a free for all at night. One night a few years back, our camp neighbors at a group site started their own fireworks display. It was loud, mostly a bunch of fireworks that just make a big bang without any color. The next morning, the courtesy ranger made her morning sweep, and we asked her how to report such an incident. She said that park law enforcement goes home at a very specific hour at night, and after that your best way to report something is to call 911 and talk to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's office. OK, so drive a half hour to get a phone signal, call the county, and then expect a response from them hours later at the earliest? Got it.

The ideal solution would be for people to stop being idiots, but that is obviously not realistic. I don't know what the solution would be. More law enforcement funding and patrol would probably just lead to uneven enforcement of lesser infractions such as someone parking on a dirt road at night to stargaze.        

plantmandan wrote:

It's a shame this kind of stuff happens so often. The park is mostly a free for all at night. One night a few years back, our camp neighbors at a group site started their own fireworks display. It was loud, mostly a bunch of fireworks that just make a big bang without any color. The next morning, the courtesy ranger made her morning sweep, and we asked her how to report such an incident. She said that park law enforcement goes home at a very specific hour at night, and after that your best way to report something is to call 911 and talk to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's office. OK, so drive a half hour to get a phone signal, call the county, and then expect a response from them hours later at the earliest? Got it.

The ideal solution would be for people to stop being idiots, but that is obviously not realistic. I don't know what the solution would be. More law enforcement funding and patrol would probably just lead to uneven enforcement of lesser infractions such as someone parking on a dirt road at night to stargaze.        

There's an emergency phone near hidden valley so you can cut the drive a bit. Also a 5.easy you can do for service on intersection rock I think but that phone is right around there. 

As far as people talking about the park losing its charm, it hasn't yet for me, but I wasn't there bitd to compare to now. I think it's pretty rad. 

plantmandan wrote:

It's a shame this kind of stuff happens so often. The park is mostly a free for all at night. One night a few years back, our camp neighbors at a group site started their own fireworks display. It was loud, mostly a bunch of fireworks that just make a big bang without any color. The next morning, the courtesy ranger made her morning sweep, and we asked her how to report such an incident. She said that park law enforcement goes home at a very specific hour at night, and after that your best way to report something is to call 911 and talk to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's office. OK, so drive a half hour to get a phone signal, call the county, and then expect a response from them hours later at the earliest? Got it.

The ideal solution would be for people to stop being idiots, but that is obviously not realistic. I don't know what the solution would be. More law enforcement funding and patrol would probably just lead to uneven enforcement of lesser infractions such as someone parking on a dirt road at night to stargaze.        

I started avoiding HV long ago as it’s mostly a bunch of pot heads masquerading as climbers. 

How do you safely brag about being cool enough to go to the bonfire without saying you went to the bonfire? Asking for an online schmuck.

Colonel Mustard wrote:

How do you safely brag about being cool enough to go to the bonfire without saying you went to the bonfire? Asking for an online schmuck.

Post a TikTok video about it. That’ll get you that dopamine fix you’re looking for. 

ryan climbs sometimes wrote:

Hey iv roped up a few times!

Only in your mind……Man.

How do you know if you’re a pot head masquerading as a climber or a climber masquerading as a pot head? Better smoke another j.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/perseids-viewers-inundated-joshua-tree-national-park-left-trash-set-illegal-campfires/ar-AA1fj6X2?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=1410effa7b6e4db09b5b0b8dfb233f3b&ei=72

Here's a bit of fodder for the fire.