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

Updating My Gear and Transitioning from Traditional Thought.

I recently bought a new backpack. I didn't 'intend' to buy a new one but I had been browsing backpacks on Campmor.com ( which is exactly opposite what someone who is not 'intending' to buy a new backpack should be doing ) and they had a great deal on a 60 liter pack. I made another mistake by posting on my Facebook wall about this great deal I had found. One of my friends saw my post and we ended up colluding to buy two packs at the same time to save on shipping costs. So much for intentions.

So I now have a new 60L internal frame pack. It is a Jansport Big Bear 63. ( If you notice, Jansport has the Big Bear 83 pictured on this webpage instead of the 63. It is fairly similar in design. ) I will admit, even though this was on sale for an excellent price, I was hesitant about this purchase.

I consider myself an experienced backpacker.  ( Note: Experienced. Nothing close to expert though. )  I have carried a pack on countless hikes through the woods of Western PA and Southern Ohio. I have hiked part of the Northville-Placid Trail, the part through the Adirondack High Peaks, and I've done a section of the River-to-River Trail in southern Illinois. I first started backpacking as a Boy Scout and my first backpack was a Jansport which I still have. This is possibly why, to me, Jansport is an "entry brand" and I believe this is why I had some trepidation about this new backpack.

Please continue reading after the jump!

New Blog Page: Creating Custom GPS Maps

There's a new page on the blog!

Creating Custom GPS Maps

This page is going to be my repository for all GPS related posts that I do. As you can see I already have the links for the GPS mapping series there. In the near future I will be creating a quick reference PDF file for download.

That is about it for right now. Have a good day and remember if you see anything that needs clarification or just to give your 2 cents, please comment!

~Occasional Hyker

"Fun with Gear" or "Playing with your Junk"

Ok, the title is a bit 'tongue in cheek', to be sure, but I find tinkering with my backpacking gear very enjoyable. There is something about taking your gear out of storage, making sure everything is clean and in working order, then putting it all together into a better configuration than was before which I find extremely satisfying.

This past weekend I did a bit of pack maintenance. I removed the pack from the frame (yes, I'm still using an ancient external frame pack) and I used some silicone water repellant spray on the nylon bag. After the bag dried, I put it back on the frame, then went through my gear and refined it, cutting out whatever weight I could. (When you have a pack that weighs in at 10# empty, it helps to have a light gear list.)

Please continue reading after the jump

Plans for this spring: Cranberry Wilderness

Well, it is that time of year again, the air is warmer, the birds are returning and people like myself start making plans to head off into the woods again. This spring has found me dreaming of a "bucket list" hike.

Over ten years ago I read an article in Backpacker Magazine about the Cranberry Wilderness in the southern part of the Monongahela National Forest (MNF) ( You can find a more recent write up at Backpacker.com )  Please continue reading after the jump for more!