[pct-l] credibility

[CMountainDave at aol.com (CMountainDave@xxxxxxx)]

I got the following as a response to my inqury as to why campfires are not 
allowed in Mt. Rainier National Park:
<DIV>Dear Sir,</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>Thank you for your interest in Mt. 
Rainier National PArk! You have raised some interesting questions about our 
backcountry policy. First of all, I do not know what percentage of Yellowstone NP is 
designated wilderness by congress as per the Wilderness Act of 1964, but Mt. 
Rainier is 97% wilderness. Generally speaking, in wilderness areas campfires 
are not allowed. This is true for all the national parks in Washington state (as 
I said I am not aware of other park's policies)
 
I was dumbfounded to know that a person in position of authority could be so 
ignorant.  Do they really belive that campfires are allowed in Yellowstone  
because it isn't designated as wliderness??? (At least 90% of yellowstone is 
designated wilderness) Campfires are allowed in ALL wilderness areas and National 
Parks in the State of Washington EXCEPT for Mt. Rainier. The only 
restrictions are just like in the Sierras -- due to high fire danger or altitude. And you 
wonder why I like to question authority? Doesn't ignorance like this put a 
major dent in the concept of credibility? 
 Another reason given was that campfires are a major source of air pollution. 
?????? What about all those cars that drive up to Paradise on a summer 
weekend?