Opinion

Fire in the West is expected, and not so long ago, it seemed something the West experienced more than anywhere else. Nationally, big fires were treated as another freak of Western violence, like a grizzly bear attack, or another California quirk like Esalen and avocados.

As summer changes into fall, the creatures get grouchy. Perhaps it is because they know winter is coming. The yellow jackets and hornets and even honey bees become aggressive. However, there is no creature on earth more irritating and detestable than a packrat. I believe it is because they mark everything, so they just ooze as they go, and they build a huge nest called a midden wherein you might find everything that has been missing in an outfitter camp for the last five years. They do not make good tent mates. When I arrived at the trailhead to go into Meadow Creek in the Scapegoat Wilderness to cook for the first week of early season rifle for the K Lazy 3 one early season hunt a few years back, it was a picture perfect Montana fall day. I did not think anything could dampen my mood until Brett Todd said, “Uh, I hate to tell you this, but there is an issue in the Meadow Creek Camp.”