My quip to Rogue was an attempt at a bit of facetiousness. Not to be taken seriously. I understand that there' s a big difference between his situation and the one faced by the hunter in San Diego.

So far I' ve heard little more than varying accounts of how he started the fire. Signal fire vs. signal flare. I don' t know if it was a flare, and if so, was it something shot into the air. It seems almost impossible to believe that someone would do the latter out here. They do cover the signal fire option in hunter safety, but anyone familiar with our fire season also knows the extreme fire danger we face this time each year. Last year major sections of forest were closed during hunting season because of that risk.

So far I haven' t heard of this hunter facing charges. I' ll take that to be an indicator that they haven' t found his actions to be reckless, and that this was accidental. Still, we can learn from it. Whistles, compasses, radios, maps, etc. are good things to take with. Establish a roundevous point, make certain everyone knows where they are and what to do if seperated and lost. Bring extra water, food, emergency blanket, etc. in case the worst happens. Just like EKM had his compass, water, rain gear, etc.