Maroon, Mothballs, and a note from the USFS

[Paula Profile 14er Peak List (48) 14ers in Winter (1)13er Peak List (3)]

The note is on the back of a preprinted note from the forest service threatening a ticket for parking overnight in the day use lot. For an organization that gets to wear hiking boots to work every day, that counts as "official letterhead" to me.

I drive an SUV, mothballs can't magically float up 3 feet to the air intakes without human intervention. It was intentional.

I do plan to write a letter to the forest service. Do I think they'll admit it over the phone that one of their employees did this? Heck no. I think it'll be more productive to be less confrontational and let them deal with it quietly amongst themselves.

I had originally planned to go the coyote urine route for the Bells, but we put this trip together about 2 days before actually going and the only coyote urine I could find in Denver came in a bug bomb form designed drift down wind up to a quarter mile. While the thought of canvasing the entire parking lot in coyote pee is hilarious, I'm pretty sure that would have pissed even more people off.

[jmc5040 Profile 14er Peak List (32) 14ers Skied (8)14ers in Winter (1)13er Peak List (11)Trip Reports]

I question if the note was written by the forest service? But after what theotherindian said maybe it was? I would try to call them and report what you found. On another note, i parked next to a large pile of moth balls that had obviously been surrounding a vehicle in American Basin last weekend. I could not believe that whoever put them there did not pick them up! I was angry that i had to change with a moth ball scent wafting toward me. I think there have been some good sugestions for not having to spread them around on the ground, maybe those can be used by those who bring moth balls. Of course if you have room in your car, there's always a roll of chicken wire. Its reusable and green!

We were parked at American Basin Saturday night through Sunday afternoon last weekend. We were bothered all night by animals so I can definitely see why someone choice to use them, not that I agree with using them. I noticed the little white things as I descended back to my vehicle, but it was not until the smell hit me from 30 feet away that I figured out what they were. It definitely irritated me that someone decided to just leave them littered in the parking lot for someone else to clean up or deal with.

[MountainHiker Profile Website 14er Peak List (58) 14ers in Winter (2)13er Peak List (92)Trip Reports]

I pee around my Jeep and let my pet coyote guard it.

[Bullwinkle Profile 14er Peak List (41) Trip Reports]

Yep, whoever did that was a putz.

Naphthalene, a solid benzene derivative, is the main ingredient in mothballs--and benzene may be carcinogenic. A cost-effective and safe option is to just buy a restaurant size container of cayenne or red pepper, and sprinkle around the vehicle. Alternatively, there are commercial products for various critter types.

http://www.critter-repellent.com/?source=GoogleAW

[Tommy Dorr Profile 14er Peak List (48) 13er Peak List (10)Trip Reports]

Earlier this summer, I got the same note in the same parking lot for doing the same thing.

[tmahon Profile Website 14er Peak List (58) 13er Peak List (121)Trip Reports]

Why is it you think the FS staff did anything other than write the note?

I've gotten little notes from them for all sorts of things and never on anything other than little scraps of paper. There's nothing unusual about it.

Mothballs are poisonous, and some of them inevitably end up either rolling into the ditch at the edge of the ashpalt, or roll over to the adjacent car and get stepped on or rolled over and then just left behind. Don't use them up there.

I've been in the area for a long time and am up at that parking lot often. It's pretty rare that anything happens to your car. You're not going to get a sign up there, either.

You should give them a call though. I'd love to hear what they say.

[Matt Profile 14er Peak List (58) 13er Peak List (157)Trip Reports]

Mothballs... could this be a revenge plot by George James?

Dude, you beat me to it!

Paula, what say you?

[ACERyGuy007 Profile 14er Peak List (26) 14ers in Winter (1)13er Peak List (16)]

Yep, whoever did that was a putz.

Naphthalene, a solid benzene derivative, is the main ingredient in mothballs--and benzene may be carcinogenic. A cost-effective and safe option is to just buy a restaurant size container of cayenne or red pepper, and sprinkle around the vehicle. Alternatively, there are commercial products for various critter types.

http://www.critter-repellent.com/?source=GoogleAW

I agree with Bullwinke. While putting the mothballs in your air intakes is a bit argressive, and I doubt it was a USFS person. They likely would have just picked them up and thrown them away.

However the important thing I think people need to be aware of is that Moth Balls are very toxic- dangerous to the enviroment, wildlife, and people. I'm no tree hugger by any means, but you really should have used something else or just not used anything at all.

Here is some info on Moth Balls you may want to read before using them again, especially outdoors.

http://npic.orst.edu/ingred/ptype/mothball/index.html

http://www.epa.gov/kidshometour/products/moth.htm

http://www.ct.gov/dph/lib/dph/environmental_health/eoha/pdf/moth_balls_fs.pdf
(My favorite is on page 2 of this article, where it talks about causing your red blood cells to break apart. No harm there, right?)

[Paula Profile 14er Peak List (48) 14ers in Winter (1)13er Peak List (3)]

Mothballs... could this be a revenge plot by George James?

Dude, you beat me to it!

Paula, what say you?

While definitely suspicious, everyone knows George hibernates when it's not ski season.

[gdthomas Profile 14er Peak List (58) Trip Reports]

...Mothballs are poisonous, and some of them inevitably end up either rolling into the ditch at the edge of the ashpalt, or roll over to the adjacent car and get stepped on or rolled over and then just left behind. Don't use them up there.

I've been in the area for a long time and am up at that parking lot often. It's pretty rare that anything happens to your car...

+1

[ElFuegoDelaMuerte Profile 14er Peak List (27) 14ers in Winter (11)13er Peak List (27)]

The worst part about smelling moth balls?









Getting their little legs apart.

Damn thats funny!

Why has no one else commented on this?

Well said.

[Kitten Profile 14er Peak List (58) 14ers in Winter (2)13er Peak List (10)Trip Reports]

I don't like when people use such nasty chemicals in the wilderness. It is against the LNT policy and even if you pick all of the balls when leaving, some of it evaporated and stays in the environment.

I could not agree more with this. Well said!