Safety and Outdoor Ethics

These items help you stay safe, prevent injury, or help you be ready in the event of an incident or injury on a hike.  Search and rescue teams are wonderful people, but they are the one group you don’t want to meet on a hike or backpack.

• map of the area
• compass & altimeter
• extra food & water
• first aid kit
• flashlight, extra batteries & bulb
• sunglasses & sunscreen
• pocketknife
• extra clothing & rain gear
• emergency shelter
• matches in a waterproof container

Watch this: Leave No Trace Principles on Mount Whitney, The 7 Principles of Leave No Trace

Plan Ahead and Prepare

• Know the regulations and special concerns for the area you'll visit.
• Prepare for extreme weather, hazards, and emergencies.
• Schedule your trip to avoid times of high use.
• Visit in small groups. Split larger parties into smaller groups.
• Repackage food to minimize waste.
• Use a map and compass and never blaze trees, use marking paint, rock cairns or flagging.

Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces

• Durable surfaces include established trails and campsites, rock, gravel, dry grasses or snow.
• Obey camping setbacks (100 feet or more) from lakes, streams, trails, other campsites, and historic and cultural sites and structures.
• Good campsites are found, not made. Altering a site is not necessary.

        In popular areas:

• Concentrate use on existing trails and campsites.
• Walk single file in the middle of the trail, even when wet or muddy.
• Keep campsites small. Focus activity in areas where vegetation is absent.

        In pristine areas:

• Disperse use to prevent the creation of campsites and trails.
• Avoid places where impacts are just beginning.

Dispose of Waste Properly

• Pack it in, pack it out. Inspect your campsite and rest areas for trash or spilled foods. Pack out all trash, leftover food, and litter.
• Deposit solid human waste in catholes dug 6 to 8 inches deep at least 200 feet from water, camp, and trails. Cover and disguise the cathole when finished.
• Pack out toilet paper and hygiene products.
• To wash yourself or your dishes, carry water 200 feet away from streams or lakes and use small amounts of biodegradable soap. Scatter strained dishwater away from sleeping areas.

Leave What You Find

• Preserve the past: examine, but do not touch, cultural or historic structures and artifacts.
• Leave rocks, plants and other natural objects as you find them.
• Avoid introducing or transporting non-native species.
• Do not build structures, furniture, or dig trenches.

Minimize Campfire Impacts

• Campfires can cause lasting impacts to the backcountry. Instead, consider using a lightweight stove for cooking and a candle lantern for light.
• If fires are permitted, use established fire rings, fire pans, or mound fires.
• Keep fires small. Only use sticks from the ground that can be broken by hand.
• Burn all wood and coals to ash, put out campfires completely, then scatter cold ashes.

Respect Wildlife

• Observe wildlife from a distance. Do not follow or approach them.
• Never feed animals. Feeding wildlife damages their health, alters natural behaviors, and exposes them to predators and other dangers.
• Protect wildlife and your food by storing rations and trash securely.
• Control pets at all times, or leave them at home.
• Avoid wildlife during sensitive times: mating, nesting, raising young, or winter.

Be Considerate of Other Visitors

• Respect other visitors and protect the quality of their experience.
• Be courteous. Yield to other users on the trail.
• Step to the downhill side of the trail when encountering horses and pack stock. Stand quietly and speak to riders and horses in a quiet, calm voice to avoid accidents.
• Take breaks and camp away from trails and other visitors.
• Let nature's sounds prevail. Avoid loud voices and noises.

The above information is adapted from the Leave No Trace: Center for Outdoor Ethics.

Call 911

Emergency response times are longer in remote or rural locations than in an urban setting. There is little to no cell reception in most of the forest. Once you find a place with reception, stop moving until you complete your call.

Identifying local  medical services or Search and Rescue before your trip may help save precious time in an emergency.

Hospitals or emergency clinics are located in Mammoth Lakes, Bishop, and Lone Pine.
Remain Calm, and take a quick assessment of information you will need.
Be prepared to give the following:

• phone number you are calling from
• the victim's location (name of the county, nearest community, or road name for locations with no address)
• time, date, and nature of the injury or accident
• the number of victims and their status

Wilderness Travelers

Wilderness visitors are expected to practice a high degree of self-reliance and responsibility for their own safety. It is recommended to leave a copy of your trip information behind with a responsible person. Providing clear instructions in advance may save valuable time in an emergency when the ability to communicate clearly might be difficult.
When reporting an emergency or someone overdue by more than 24 hours it is helpful to provide:

• Describe the nature of the emergency
• Names of the people in the group
• Wilderness permit number
• Entry and exit trail names & dates
• Route or intended destination
• Description of the car(s) at the trailhead

Search and Rescue

Search and Rescue (SAR) is activated through the local County Sheriff.

Search and Rescue Teams in Inyo and Mono County are volunteers. Once your message is received to call out the volunteers, travel times to get to remote locations and extreme weather may delay rescue. Be aware that help may be several days away. You should be prepared to self-rescue or shelter in place if necessary.

Inyo County SAR near Bishop 760-873-7887; or Lone Pine 760-876-5606
Mono County SAR 760-935-4066
Fresno County SAR 559-488-3939
Sequoia & Kings Canyon NPS 559-565-3195

If you request a rescue and no longer need assistance, please contact the SAR unit and report your status.

Campfires, Stoves and Charcoal Fire

Regulations governing campfires can change with weather conditions and the seasons. To protect yourself and the forest, before each visit, check with the Forest Service office nearest to your destination for current restrictions.

You can help protect the National Forests from wildfires by knowing and following the rules for the safe use of fire. You must have a California Campfire Permit to use a stove or lantern outside a Developed Recreation Area such as a campground. The permit is your agreement to follow restrictions and regulations in effect.

Your California Campfire Permit is valid until the end of the calendar year; it may be used in any National Forest in California.

Go to any Forest Service, CALFIRE, or Bureau of Land Management office during business hours and a receptionist will issue you a permit. You may also go to this website to get a campfire permit online (please note you will need a printer to print it off).

Campfires 

When and where campfires are permitted, you need to follow five conditions:

1. Campfire Permits are required.
2. Clear all flammable material away from the fire for a minimum of five feet in all directions to prevent escape of the fire.
3. Have a shovel available at the campfire site for preparing and extinguishing campfires.
4. Have a responsible person in attendance at all times.
5. Extinguish campfire with water, using the drown, stir and feel method.

Smoking 

Smoldering cigarettes can start fires hours after being dropped or thrown away. Never toss cigarettes out of cars. Smoking is restricted to inside vehicles, developed sites or areas cleared to bare soil 3 feet in diameter. (Subject to current fire restrictions)

Fireworks 

Fireworks are not allowed anywhere on the National Forest. Call 911 if you see anyone lighting fireworks in the forest.

Spark Arresters

All OHV's must have a California green or red sticker or be street legal. All vehicles must be equipped with a Forest Service approved spark arrester.

Vehicles

Parking in tall grass or shrubs can start fires because the hot catalytic converter comes in contact with the dry plant materials. Dry, windy conditions can turn smoldering grass into a wall of flames. Don't park where vegetation is touching the underside of your vehicle. Motorcycles and ATV's must have approved working spark arresters.

Burn Permits 

No household trash or garbage can be burned outdoors at residences. Dry, natural vegetation, grown on the property, can still be burned outdoors in open piles, unless prohibited by local controls. Don't burn on windy days. More information on burn permits.

Defensible Space

In California, the number of homes and businesses are growing in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) – and fire is an increasing threat. Reduce your home's fire danger and prevent wildfires from spreading by taking responsibility today. Find out more about defensible space from the Mammoth Lakes Fire Protection District.