Backpacking has always been a means to get away from it all.
With its growing popularity, it is hard to find a place that isn’t
crowded. Now, it seems it is just as hard to find people with
backpacking etiquette.
By shannon faraone
Backpacking has always been a means to get away from it all. With its growing popularity, it is hard to find a place that isn’t crowded. Now, it seems it is just as hard to find people with backpacking etiquette.
Recently, my family and I made an overnight trip to Bull Run Lake in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness, which is part of Stanislaus National Forest. It is about three and a half hours from Hollister and only a couple minutes past Bear Valley Ski Resort off Highway 4.
We met a volunteer ranger on the trail who let us know our favorite haven may be a little different next year, unless things change. There are many reasons why Bull Run is suffering and many reasons why it is worth saving.
Bull Run is great for most any level backpacker. The seven-mile round trip trail has a little bit of something for everyone, so I was able to do this hike with my whole family.
The United States Department of Agriculture labels this hike a combination of easy, more-difficult and most-difficult, a combination of traits that is hard to find. It leads up to a beautiful, but quaint lake. If you have the courage to brave snow runoff, it is a great place to take a dip.
The first mile is a great warm-up on level terrain. It can easily be done in 45 minutes, even for those not in the best shape. The trail starts off alongside a meadow that is home to a herd of cattle.
As unusual as it is to hear cowbells in the backcountry, it is one of the things that makes Bull Run unique.
As part of the Wilderness Act, grazing is allowed in the state and national parks as long as the land was used for that purpose before being designated as the wilderness.
As you enter the second mile, the terrain becomes more rocky and the trail winds between the cool shade of pine trees and open skies where you can feel the heat of the sun. On the way up, there are breathtaking views of jagged mountains and lush forests. It is a rare to treat to go on a trip that lets you enjoy a little of both.
When you hit the last leg of the trip, you may begin to wonder if you made a wrong turn. There is absolutely no sign that there is a lake nestled in a valley between mountains until you are standing a few yards away from it.
Bull Run Lake is small, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in beauty. At times, the surface of lake can look just like glass, and it mirrors the pines that surround it. It is so still at night that you may forget it’s there.
It is easy to see why Bull Run is a premier spot for backpacking enthusiasts.
The only problem is some backpackers have taken their privileges for granted. The volunteer ranger we met on the trail spent his summer up at the lake, and chatted with us after checking our permit.
Something that makes Bull Run a great backpacking destination is it is one of the few places left that allows campfires at sites that have fire rings. Most places do not allow fires, or only allow them in one communal fire ring.
The ranger said people are taking advantage of the rare privilege. Many are taking too much wood for their fires or taking it from places that are being restored.
People also throw whole logs into the fire. There have actually been instances where people have shot at healthy trees to break off wood for their raging campfires.
Now, the rumors about banning fires seem to be becoming more than that. Our friendly ranger let us know that unless things improve dramatically, it is possible a fire ban could start as early as next season.
Another troubling development is people are camping far too close to the lake. The rules say that campers must set up their sites 100 yards away, but people have been setting up wherever they desire with no regard for how it affects their surroundings. Now some of the most desirable sites are closed off.
The unfortunate thing is the selfish acts of others will eventually be consequential to people who follow the rules. Why should there be a punishment for everyone and not just for the people who are breaking laws, especially if a majority of people are following the rules?
Maybe, instead of penalizing everyone, they could raise fines for acts like camping in undesignated areas and having fires larger than regulation size.
Regardless of how everything turns out, the only way we will be able to continue enjoying places like Bull Run is if we show more respect to the area.
The No. 1 rule to follow is to leave the woods the way you found them. This means packing out all trash and minimizing the use of nature’s resources, only taking enough wood for a small fire that lasts for an hour and avoiding walking through areas that are undergoing restoration.
Fires or no fires, there is no overnight backpacking trip like Bull Run.
