The Happy Camp Ranger District of the Klamath National Forest boasts some of the most spectacular backcountry recreation on Earth. Located along the Klamath River near the renowned Marble Mountain Wilderness Area and the lesser-known but equally impressive High Siskiyou Wilderness, Happy Camp more than lives up to its name. The mixed conifer old-growth forests that grow around Happy Camp have evolved with fire for centuries. Prior to Smokey the Bear’s anti-fire propaganda, local Native American tribes would ignite fires in these mountains to ensure the benefits to forest health and species diversity that fire encouraged. Small diameter “ladder” fuels were often consumed by flames, hardwoods were given space to grow, large conifers flourished, and ecological balance was maintained. Following the 2007 fires, the Forest Service immediately started planning “salvage” timber sales on steep slopes located above salmon-bearing streams in the Little Grider and Independence watersheds. The healthy forests proposed for logging in the Happy Camp Salvage Sales are easily accessible from the Forest Service road system, and are nearby spectacular wilderness and river hiking opportunities. Join us for a hike into the burn and proposed logging units. Hike meets at 11 am in the parking lot of Indian Creek River Access on Highway 96 (from I-5, drive east and then south on Highway 96 until you reach Happy Camp).