your fire anytime you leave camp. Should your unattended fire spread, you can be held financially responsible for the expense of fighting it.
After you break camp, scatter the rocks from your fire ring. Cover the ashes with debris. Better yet, dig a small pit for your fire, saving the sod. When you leave, replace the sod. Use brush to “sweep” the area you tracked with your lug-soled boots. Do the same to trampled vegetation. In a short time, your campsite will appear to have never been used.
Wild Animals
While bears, lions, coyotes, and other carnivores live in the Flat Tops, you’re unlikely to have problems with any of them. Chipmunks that steal your GORP and gray jays that beg handouts are normally the extent of predation experienced by visitors. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use caution.
Bears are the most feared because of their size, their teeth and claws, and the fact that they eat whatever they want. Most will try to avoid you. Since bears are always hungry, food smells can attract them. The use of commercial freeze-dried foods kept in original packages will reduce the odor problem.
Don’t eat or store food in your tent. Burn trash and food scraps. Keep your campsite clean.
If you see a bear on the trail, make noise. Don’t approach it. If the animal comes toward you, don’t turn and run. Instead, slowly back away until you are in a safer position. Try to get upwind so the bear can catch your scent. Should you carry bear repellent, that is, a .357 or .500 S&W Magnum? Chances are you’ll never need a gun for protection from bears or other wild animals in the wilderness.
Should you see a mountain lion, consider yourself lucky. In four decades of living in and traveling the backcountry, the closest I have come to a big cat is finding tracks.
So, if you should be so fortunate, how do you react? First of all, don’t run. This will induce a cat to attack. Face the animal but avoid eye contact, which the cat perceives as a threat. Raise your arms to appear larger. Speak softly to the animal and begin backing away.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife publishes several free pamphlets concerning dangerous animals. One thing CPW doesn’t state is that a person may use whatever effective means to stop a genuine life-endangering threat.
Other carnivores you’ll possibly see in the Flat Tops pose little threat. Bobcats are secretive. They’re usually seen only when running away. Coyotes normally avoid humans.
Hypothermia
No matter what season you visit the Flat Tops, hypothermia is possible. In winter, the obvious contributor is cold and snow. The hazard also exists in summer.
Because the Flat Tops gets rain frequently, and the high elevation causes lower temperatures, you should stay dry. Modern rain gear makes this possible.
The problem is not just the dampness but also the chill it produces. Relative humidity at high elevations is usually low, causing rapid evaporation. An air temperature of 50°F, combined with a 10 mph wind, can give the same cooling effect as a temperature in the 40s. If a sudden shower has soaked your clothes, the evaporation causes even more cooling. Most cases of hypothermia occur at temperatures between 30°F and 50°F.
Hypothermia will cause severe shivering, slurred speech, incoherence, stumbling, drowsiness, and extreme fatigue. If you do get wet and notice any of the symptoms in yourself or someone with you, immediate treatment is advised. Get out of the wind. Remove all wet clothes. Put on dry clothes and crawl into a sleeping bag. The victim should be given warm drinks if coherent and able to swallow. It may be necessary to use your own body heat to warm a hypothermic person.
Lightning
Thunderstorms occur frequently in the Flat Tops. So does lightning. The plateau has several large clear areas, free of trees. Be cautious about hiking in the open anytime storms are threatening. If electrical storms are a possibility, stay close to shelter. During an electrical storm, avoid open areas or lone trees.
If you are caught in the open, remove your pack, which likely contains conductive metal. Squat down with your feet apart. Form a ball with your body. In this position, a lightning strike should pass over your body in what’s called a flashover. Keeping your feet together is like closing a switch. It completes the electrical circuit. Only in this case, you are the circuit.
Forest Fire
Get out of the area and don’t hang around to watch it. Report fires to the nearest USFS district office.
This photo, taken a year after the Big Fish Fire, shows ground cover recovering. Fireweed, one of the first plants to return following a burn, is scattered among the burned trees.
Other Hazards
The Flat Tops has lots of standing dead trees. Select a campsite with this in mind. Strong winds, common in the Flat Tops, are all it takes to knock one down.
Get your water only from known safe sources or treat it before drinking. Assume that any surface water is contaminated. Water can be filtered, boiled, or chemically treated to kill giardia. Using only water that has been processed with barley and hops will also eliminate such problems. Oh. While a beer may taste good after hiking all day, be aware that alcohol can also contribute to dehydration, a cause of altitude illness.
Insects are abundant on the Flat Tops. Bring repellent. Lots. Garlic is also said to repel mosquitoes. It’s effective also in capsule form. This is available from your pharmacy or health food store.
Snakes are not a serious problem. Most of those you see are garter snakes. You might even come across an occasional bull snake. They’re harmless. The worst that would come of a bite is tetanus and almost everyone has been immunized against that. Should a bite become infected an antibiotic may be needed. Timber rattlesnakes could live in the Flat Tops but if they do, they’re rare.
Livestock
Horses are not the only livestock you will encounter on the Flat Tops. You will also meet up with llamas, cattle, and sheep.
Usually, cows will run from you but not always. A cow with a calf is protective of her offspring. If she sees you as a threat, she will get belligerent, especially after being on the range all summer.
Bulls also present a problem. When cows are in heat, a bull has only one thing on his mind. A bull having amorous thoughts is an animal to avoid. If you’re not a cow, he may see you as an object on which to express his aggression. Avoid them, even if you must go out of your way.
Sheep are also grazed in the wilderness, most often in the high meadows. Grazing is a historical use of the forests and was grandfathered into wilderness laws. You can reduce the probability of contacting livestock by inquiring at the appropriate district office to learn areas where sheep or cattle are being grazed.
There’s one other hazard, but you are the only person who can prevent it. That’s carelessness. Read the signs posted at trailheads. They inform you of wilderness regulations that protect both you and the resource. You don’t need to go to the extremes that would be required by OSHA if they were to regulate wilderness travel but prudence is required. You go to the Flat Tops to enjoy the experience. Don’t ruin it by doing something dumb. The wilderness is unforgiving of mistakes.
Altitude Illness
Anyone who
