I can get a permit for that? or Nude firefighting: worse than cooking bacon naked.

Earlier today I was poking around on the USDA's Monongahela National Forest website looking for information on road or trail access restrictions when I stumbled across this gem: General Use Restrictions - Order 21-108. One item in particular caught my eye...

ORDER NO. 21-108

ORDER OF THE FOREST SUPERVISOR
CLOSING AN AREA TO ENTRY, TO WIT:

ENTIRETY OF MONONGAHELA NATIONAL FOREST
CHEAT-POTOMAC RANGER DISTRICT
GAULEY RANGER DISTRICT
GREENBRIER RANGER DISTRICT
MARLINTON-WHITE SULPHUR RANGER DISTRICT
MONONGAHELA NATIONAL FOREST – WEST VIRGINIA

Under the authority of the Act of Congress dated June 4, 1897, as amended (16 U.S.C. 551), and pursuant to the Secretary of Agriculture’s Regulations set forth at 36 CFR Part 261, Subpart B (36 CFR 261.50(a) and (b)), the following acts and omissions are prohibited in the entirety of the Monongahela National Forest controlled lands, waters and administrative units...

[Text omitted]

The following are prohibited:

[Text omitted]

13. Being publicly nude. (36 CFR 261.58 (j));

Ok, so it is not permissible ( among several other things which include possessing trees and generally being a jerk in designated camping areas ) to wander around the national forest naked. Now I personally have no problem with anyone who would want to go ambling along through thick underbrush comprised of various thorny or poisonous plant species, over gnarled and tangled blow-downs, in mosquito, tick, chigger and rattlesnake infested forests with their God given talents swinging in the breeze. I'm just that much of a believer in individualism. I've been to Haight-Ashbury, I've seen naked people in public there, to each their own. What really got me though was the next section:

Pursuant to the provision of 36 CFR 261.50(e), the following persons are exempt from this order:

1. Persons with a permit specifically authorizing the otherwise prohibited act or omission (36 CFR 261.50(e)(1)); and,
2. Any Federal, State, or local officer, or member of an organized rescue or fire fighting force in the performance of an official duty (36 CFR 261.50(e)(4)),

Wow. So this tells me two things: One, you can call the rangers station and apply for a federal permit to be nude in public...

And two, nude firefighting is completely acceptable in the National Forest.

Have a good evening!

~ Occasional Hyker

Bureaurcracy - A Creeping Menace

One of the pleasures I get from backpacking, or just being in the out-of-doors in general, is the feeling of freedom. To me being away from technology, the interconnectedness of the new world, and the press of society at large allows a burden to be lifted from my shoulders. Out in the wild areas you are beholden to no one. Your schedule is set by the sun and your stomach alone.

In this day and age, the ability to cast aside the yolk of society, even if temporarily, is a huge relief. It just seems that in day-to-day life the bureaucracy all around us is getting worse. I'm not making a comment on Democratic or Republican control of the government either. Bureaucracy is an ever growing phenomenon in our society that involves not only government, but corporations big and small. From going to see your doctor, to getting plates for your car, to trying to get adequate phone service, to making sure you are in compliance with regulations in our parks systems.