What do you do in the woods…

I'm talking about Backpacking and Backpackers here, not car campers or RV campers or ATV riders etc.

1.Building a new fire ring.
I see this on occasion and it sometimes irks me to see a main camp's firering with the usual level tent spots around it and then to come back later and find a second firepit 15 feet from the main "established" ring and built on one of the level tentsites. How many new firerings have I removed and cleaned up? Too many to count.

2.Chopping up or down a tree for fire wood
I saw this recently whereby wannabe davy crockett's cut down living trees to make camp furniture. Cutting up dead wood doesn't bother me. Cutting down standing dead trees doesn't bother me too much either. Haven't we seen enough logging and clearcuts?

3.Hiking with a dog where it is forbidden
All my backpacking trips used to be with a "pack dog" until he left for the spirit trail after 15 years. Dogs don't bother me.

4.Fishing with bait in a fly-fishing only stream
Void of personal interest.

5.Feeding wildlife
We all feed mice on our trips, directly or not. Who has the food to waste on a backpacking trip to give to the bears?

6.Leaving a fire or coals unattended
My biggest peeve is finding a fully burning firepit with no one around and no one in camp cuz they LEFT CAMP PERMANENTLY. I've seen this many times and curse the cretins.

7.Littering
Hate littering, especially leaving human turds with tp on the ground or on top of the snow. And leaving those walmart green propane tanks, etc.

8.Hiking in a group that is larger than allowed
Not relevant to me.

9.Camping in an illegal area or illegal/closed campsite
This does not rate as too many places are outlawed for "gypsies" and there's no such thing as "an illegal campsite" when it comes to backpacking. The Tent Police take this one seriously, not me.

10.Mining with a pick and shovel
What??

A. Ignore the activity and hike away?
It's hard to ignore and if I could catch up with the miscreants I'd tell them so. I'm on foot and they're on foot and long gone. But I do take pics (of open fires, cut trees etc) and post them on my blog. See D.

B. Notify them that the activity violates USFS policy?
Everything probably violates USFS policy, but I'll give them a piece of my mind if able.

C. Notify them that the activity violates USFS policy and ask them to stop?
Same as above.

D. Take a photo to document the activity?

E. Step in and stop/fix the problem?
Yes, hands on repair. Something I'm good at.

F. Report the activity to the authorities when you hike out?
God no, unless it's a major clearcut or trash dump. Heck, I stumbled on a newly cut helicopter landing zone in Slickrock wilderness on Hangover Mt back in 2007 and who could I snitch out since the forest service themselves cut in the landing zone?? I did take pics and email them to the Knoxville Sierra Club, which raised a ruckus.

The biggest "destruction" of the woods I hike and backpack (and see/hear) are the nonstop loud motorcyclists on area "scenic byways and nature motor loops" who have completely ruined the outdoor experience with their noise, racing and harley roars. Mufflers? Nope. Their noise travels for 10 miles in every direction.

I would never bother someone just for violating a law. If they are doing something destructive or irresponsible, I might speak up. If what they are doing is illegal but not dangerous, destructive, or irresponsible, then it's none of my business. I'm not a cop.

1.Building a new fire ring
Suggest that they take apart the fire ring and scatter the coals. Very easy to make a fire outside of a fire ring off trail and not leave too much of a trace. Random fire rings way off trail really annoy me. Usually take them apart.

2.Chopping up or down a tree for fire wood
If we are talking a large, beautiful whitebark pine tree in the middle of a granite field then I would be very angry and confront them. If we are talking an arm sized dead tree, cut close to the ground, off trail in the middle of a dense forest then it's barely a LNT issue.

3.Hiking with a dog where it is forbidden
I don't think dogs should be foribidden in most places that they are, so I wouldn't do anything other than pet the dog if it was friendly.

4.Fishing with bait in a fly-fishing only stream
Probably wouldn't be paying attention to that or care.

5.Feeding wildlife
Tell them to stop.

6.Leaving a fire or coals unattended
Depends on how unattended. I sometimes have a low bed of coals and leave camp for a couple minutes to do something. As long as it's not windy or the campfire isn't super flammable, there is little to no risk.
But a huge flaming fire next to dry brush with the campers far off in the distance, yeah that's stupid.

7.Littering
Confront them, maybe throw the trash at the,?

8.Hiking in a group that is larger than allowed
If they are being obnoxious, take a photo and share with the forest service.

9.Camping in an illegal area or illegal/closed campsite
Don't care.

10.Mining with a pick and shovel
Take a photo and share with the forest service.

…

…

Whether I would speak up in the moment depends a lot on my own sense of vulnerability:

* if I'm alone, less likely; if I'm with a friend or two who also care, more likely
* if the offender seems intimidating vs. unthreatening and maybe just clueless

These are the ones I'd care most about

5.Feeding wildlife — more likely depending on size of animal (e.g a bear, hell yes; birds, chipmunk? depends)

6.Leaving a fire or coals unattended — well, i would say something, but if it's unattended there's no one to speak up to!

7.Littering — if it could possibly have been by accident, yes.

9.Camping in an illegal area or illegal/closed campsite — less likely

If someone were making a fire in a sensitive alpine area, perhaps. Though I encountered that on my last trip, and did not say anything. It was late, I was tucked in my bivy and heard them chopping wood across the lake. No confrontations before bedtime!

If I did speak up I would probably also include a "why" as part of my statement, e.g. "Did you know you're not supposed to do ABC because it XYZs.

Best be careful confronting others these day… anywhere. But out in the wilds with no witnesses, you might end up buried and never heard of again.

Best to take pics and/or call the Sheriff or Park/Forest Service entity, make a report and hike away.

That said, About a week ago I encountered 3 motorized dirt bikes ripping down the PCT and doing circles in adjacent grassland… One of them had tats and the look of hard arse biker…. I was really hot. There was no way to avoid them as I had to hike right past them and no way I was going to keep my mouth shut. I gave them more than a few harsh words. Wished I had a cell phone with me as I was sure they would be out before I could walk the 8 miles out. Probably lucky I didn't get beat up or worse.

Billy

At my age, in this neck of the woods…discretion is usually the better part of valor. When I've run across antisocial idiots in SW Indiana, it's always been one of me and four or more of them on horseback. (And yes, it's always been on horseback. Maybe there are good caring horse people out there, but I've not been lucky enough to meet them on the trail). So I treat them just like other natural hazards, and hike out to a safer and saner place.

Roger, if I ran into a pot field I would probably not take a picture.
I would be too scared that there is someone watching me.

Covert labs and grow ops have been known to booby trap the area. Some of these booby traps are easy to make, cost less than $10, and will blow your foot off. I doubt you'd run across one of these trail hiking but it's a real possibility when bushwhacking or hunting. DOD firefighters responded to a burning meth lab on Ft Drum in the '90s; they were impressed with all the green, blue and other unusual flame colors. Anyways, moral of the story, if you happen to discover a covert lab or grow op, retrace your steps out of there by literally stepping on your foot prints, give it a wide berth, and report it to the authorities. Also keep in mind that you may be on camera by not only the criminal but law enforcement. Poaching off of their grow may result in an invitation to see the magistrate or at the very least, make you the subject of an investigation to determine the level of your involvement with the operation.

I get to confront people for a living so it would have to be something egregious, and normally a felony, for me to get involved off duty. Can't give a one size fits all answer for the scenarios.

For example, I live in the desert where a spark from an ORV will burn up acres of grass and old growth sagebrush long before 911 is activated. If I saw someone getting ready to start a fire in those conditions, I'd say something if I thought it was safe to do so. In the rain forest? I'd describe the violator to the local ranger.

so

1.Building a new fire ring = F or nothing.
2.Chopping up or down a tree for fire wood = F or nothing.
3.Hiking with a dog where it is forbidden = Nothing unless the dog was truly terrorizing other hikers or wildlife. Not the piddly stuff people tend to whine about here that isn't important but somehow starts a flame war.
4.Fishing with bait in a fly-fishing only stream = nothing
5.Feeding wildlife = Insult them until they cry
6.Leaving a fire or coals unattended = drown it
7.Littering = pick up the trash and slap them with it. Ok slap them in my dreams and not in reality.
8.Hiking in a group that is larger than allowed = nothing as I couldn't give two $%!+s. I don't do this personally.
9.Camping in an illegal area or illegal/closed campsite = nothing.
10.Mining with a pick and shovel = I've yet to see Yosemite Sam when hiking but F.

In the volunteer wilderness rangers training I have taken from the USFS they have said that volunteers are not law enforcement and have no authority. We cannot take efforts to stop people. We shouldn't take efforts to stop people as it could jeopardize our personal safety. Simply observe and report. That said, if it's something like an unattended fire in Southern California, it's perfectly acceptable to put it out. Volunteer wilderness rangers are encouraged to clean up trash, disperse fire rings and do things of that nature.

A volunteer wilderness ranger is more "official" than just being an ordinary person out in the wilderness. But the limits on them are pretty much the most I would ever do as an ordinary person. My boyfriend likes to lecture people, though, and that scares the crap out of me.

I think to all of these encounters, I would just approach the person acting friendly and in a way that I have no idea that what they're doing is wrong.
Once I get their interest in the conversation, I would ask what they are trying to do and get their name and what/ where they are hiking.

Once I saw someone who could do something about it, I would let them know.

I would also try to make a question to someone as if their answer would let me know what they are up to or weather they know if it's illegal or not or if they are supposed to be doing it.

Example:

Hey, do you have any idea what elevation we are at?
They reply, (I don't know).
I say, it looks like we are over 10,000 feet, let me check the map, (even though I already know we are).
Oh, we are.
Hey did you know that gathering wood and making fires at this elevation is not allowed?

I would already know through the conversation as to what intentions this person has and will know what to expect for the answer.

> Their weapon of choice is a small 22 rifle,
Chuckle. Small stuff.

Around here we had one rather large illegal pot farm where the guards were armed with AK47s. They pinned down a Highway Patrol pair who just happened to investigate. That brought in the para-military SWAT by chopper very fast and hard.

Mate of mine got bailed up by a pot farm guard with a 9 mm once. Talked his way out of it – friendly chit chat like, then rang the cops when out of sight. They had been waiting for a chance, and SWAT'd the the guy. I came across the remains of the farm a few weeks later.

Cheers

maybe it's best to, for example, point out that the reason they don't allow fires above 10,000 feet is that it takes so long for trees to grow that there just isn't enough firewoood, and if people burn up the few snags that exist they won't be around for other people to appreciate.