Thanks to all the conscientious smokers, indeed, for picking up their butts as they go.

However, one thing I've noticed (perhaps because I'm a reformed smoker) is that the higher you go, the fewer butts you see. There will be lots at campgrounds, in parks and on pond loops, some few at lower elevations along trails with gentle slopes and easy access, but once you're past a few hundred metres in elevation gain, they seem to disappear altogether. This could mean that all the smokers who hike pick up after themselves, but there may be a simpler explanation.

I think smokers just can't make it up to heights requiring any extra exertion beyond that needed for a gentle stroll with Grandma. And all that fresh air probably confuses their lungs.

Once you're in the alpine, there isn't enough fuel anyway for more than a smudge to warm your fingers up. Even in a campground, a stove is faster and easier to use than tending a fire in a firepit or stone ring (that's not a good idea, anyway, since stones can explode when they get hot), and when you turn it off, you know it's out and can't start a forest fire.

For all practical purposes, then, a stove is the only way to go. I would say, then that "In ALL circumstances, a small stove is ALWAYS a better alternative to a roaring fire". Yeah, yeah, a fire is nice and woodsy when the day is done, and the flames keep the boogeymen away, but for simplicity, completion of the task, and ease of use, the stove wins.

being the first at a trailhead parking and taking up most of the spots by not angle parking. oops

As far as a camp fire I like to have a small one especially if I am a little wet from a long day and the nights chill is creeping in. It is well to note though that higher alpine locations where there is not allot of fuel means no fire, Meadows with no stone or sandy ground means no fire. I prefer for safety sake to have a little fire right next to a stream or lake and to maintain it at a small size. It always comes down to weather and location and surplus of deadwood in the end.

Keep our back country clean and green!

Will non-native food that is put on the ground affect the ecosystem around it? For example, compare a camas flower from BC to a banana peel from Ecuador. Also, they put a lot of pesticides on your fruit, so don't put that on the ground either, unless it's organic.

What is the standard ettiquette about ownerless backpacks?

4 days ago I was hiking a little used trail when I came across an overnight backpack sitting beside the trail. I gave a holler, nobody answered. Snapped a few shots of the pack for curiosity's sake, and kept going, as I was 2+ hours from more travelled trails, over 5 hours from my car with only 2.5 hours of daylight left.

Yesterday I got a call from the RCMP looking for information about a missing hiker. Turns out the pack was hers, she'd signed a peak log book less than an hour's hike from her pack 2 days before me. If I'd called in the pack the night I found it, Search and Rescue would have had a starting point right away when she was reported missing the next day, instead of spending another 24 hours searching before other hikers reported the pack.

When I saw it, I figured someone was answering nature's call or looking for a campsite, maybe going somewhere for a nice photo. Respect for others' property generally means don't touch, but the backcountry might be a bit different?

At what point would you check a backpack for ID, or call it in right away?

Edit: new topic started
https://www.clubtread.com/sforum/topi...TOPIC_ID=63103

Can I immediately suggest we peel this away into a separate topic? The discussion that results around this could be seriously useful and enlightening.

Control your dogs please.

No, I don't care if "it's okay, he's friendly" get your dog's nose out of my crotch.

And no, it's not cute to go chasing and digging up marmot holes or running loose and barking up deer trails.

Absolutely agree. Even if a leash is not required in a particular area, dog owners should keep their pets leashed, unless they are perfectly socialized and always obey commands.
Even so, you can't be sure how your dog would act in a specific case, even if it's usually calm and quiet.
I'm a dog owner myself.