I always assumed this fire must have been some lightning caused event or something. It is reassuring to know that the person is being held accountable, however, not so reassuring that a 71 year old man could possess this little common sense at that age, I mean I would figure by 70 you would have to at least accidentally come across some common sense in your life time.
The fire ignited on October 27, 2019. Investigators say Thomas Grabarek, 71, of Flagstaff, was burning toilet paper to incinerate it and high winds swept the fire up quickly uphill as it spread.
Grabarek agreed to pay $53,520.03 in restitution. This money will go towards helping park managers rehabilitate the burned area over the next four years.
You think wrong. I remind you of the time I came across similarly aged women urinating directly on the trail surface or tread on one of my first Humphrey's Summit trail #151 hikes in 2006.
You would think that if somebody had made it to that age they would be smart enough to realize that during periods of high fire danger somebody should pack out toilet paper rather than attempt to incinerate it if they aren't satisfied with simply covering it with feces and soil which will decay pretty quickly during a moist period, but....
@Jim_H
I think the excuse is BS any ways. The fire started in OCT, that dude was cold and started a fire because no one was around and he thought he could get away with it. It does not take a bon fire to burn a few squares of feces paper.
The guy is a dentist in Flag, (retired I think.) He has probably been backpacking GC for years, and he probably has always burned his TP, because all the old GC backpackers used to do that. After several wildfires, this practice was made against the rules/illegal. I even knew a guy who admitted to starting a TP fire, but it was many years ago and was in an area that was so far from any trails it was not noticed, from what I can gather.
As I recall from my first Grand Canyon backpacking trip in 1993, (Bill Hall Trail to Thunder River/Tapeats Creek) the rule was already in place. You were supposed to put your TP in a baggie and carry it out, and burning it was not allowed. So, even if the guy has been doing this for years, he has no excuse, because the rule has been in place for at least 27 years, and he probably knew of its existence.
There is a point of no return unremarked at the time in most lives. Graham Greene The Comedians
A clean house is a sign of a misspent life.
Route Editor
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