Cutting blazes on Couchsachraga

[mavs00]

Recently in the trail reports section for VFTT, there is a REPORT for the Santanoni range that indicates the poster was involved in not only using a machete to clear debris from the trail, but also using it to hack into live trees in order to BLAZE the trail for easier route finding.

After visiting the person in question’s blogsite, I have convinced myself that this is not a troll post and that the hikers in question are new and possibly NOT AWARE of proper back-country ethics and LEAVE NO TRACE principals as opposed to do so in as deliberate vandalism. Recent climbers indicated to me that MANY trees were damaged.

So I make this public plea to you (and anyone else that may have some confusion on the issue.)

--------------------------------

Fellow climber;

PLEASE UNDERSTAND: this activity is illegal.

It’s obvious from your blogsite that you have “discovered the Adirondacks and your passion and enthusiasm is a wonderful thing. But understand that the resource is a finite one and the rate of rejuvenation is much slower than the rate of attrition. PLEASE, when hiking in the Adirondacks, DO NOT make any unnatural alteration. Cutting, or otherwise permanent alteration to live trees is NEVER an acceptable practice unless you are part of an official trail-cutting crew.

The practice is illegal and there are many in the community that feel that your actions have made unsightly modifications to what was once a beautiful and wonderful pathway to 3 special places. There is a rich history for the so-called trailless peaks and there is a reason that they have been left unmarked and minimally maintained.

Please take corrective measures by educating yourself to proper back-country travel, such as LEAVE NO TRACE. If you have any questions as to proper ethics there are many available resources, or you can contact the DEC , the 46ers , ADK or any of the many members on this site.

If you are going to CLIMB and HIKE in the Adirondack, you NEED to take the responsibility that goes along with it.

Please take this message in the spirit it is delivered. I am not meaning to be preachy. THANK YOU.

Signed, Mavs00, (a fellow climber)

----------------------

I am presenting this message publicly for two reasons. 2) it was brought to my attention that way. And 2) If I got any part of the message wrong, other members smarter than I can add to it. REMEMBER, the goal is education, not castration.

 

[Gandalf]

Well said, Tim. The paths to (and among) the Santanonis are generally obvious enough without blazes, rendering the cuttings as unnecessary as they are ugly.

Part of the charm of a "46er" herd path is that it ISN"T a trail, and though the distinction may be gradually lessening through overuse, let's please not hasten the process via illegal activities such as these.

 

[SLB]

Did he carry a small saw?

 

[jbrown]

Thanks for the LNT links too, Tim.
I hike with some inexperienced guys who I would like to educate about this principle.

When I was first hiking, I was guilty of this sort of thing too, thinking it was acceptable practice. I think I saw too many PBS specials with people whacking their way through the jungle with machetes.

To the new hiker that Tim referred to. Keep the enthusiasm for the Dacks up, they're a beautiful, precious place and very dear to our hearts. Best of luck in your future hikes.

 

[BorealChickadee]

Well said Tim.

 

[Rik]

I wonder if the 46ers should recognize this climb if the offender applies for membership? If I was his/her correspondent I would tell him/her to climb it again and participate in a day of trailwork before I would support membership.

 

[Peakbagr]

Rik,

You beat me to it. I'm contacting Alpine Summit and Barbara Harris so this can get back to the 46er Board.

Alan

 

[MattC]

If that was an online petition that Mavs wrote, I'd be one more person signing on to it.

Matt

 

[Woody]

Mavs,

That was very well put.

Thanks

Woody

 

[mavs00]

The Couchsachraga trail report has been removed from the offenders blog site. Very good, It it my sincere hope they get the message. can't tell unless we here from them.

A simple; Sorry, we did not know. Won't happen again is a good start.

 

[nazdarovye]

Here was his response to me (I wrote using the link on the trail report on this site):

Fortunately, I do clear trails with the crews and I live right here in the adirondacks so that everyone can enjoy this great place. I'm lucky and get to enjoy it everyday. Unfortunately, I didn't know it bothered as many people as it does. Hence, this I will watch out for. The marks you are talking about, since I see a few people are upset, couldn't have been left by me or my crew. I am headed back there in a week or 2 to finish up Sant. and Panth and I plan on looking at what everyone is griping about. I myself like to see a good trail and not one that has been hacked up. Thanks for the info.

Not sure what to make of this - he says right on this site in his report that he chipped out marks. Perhaps someone can make sure that report is archived or protected from deletion. I also don't know what he means by "finish up Sant. and Panth" - summitting, or hacking out a trail?

Hopefully he'll get the message and cool it on the maverick trailblazing.

 

[Peakbagr]

Great backpedaling...I'd ask others to please not provide any more of a forum for his explanations.
DEC has been notified with screen shots from the Trail Conditions and his webblog admitting the blazing he's done.
The 46ers have the same information and that of others who hiked the route afterward and observed the damage.
We will be banning him from the site and from the Trails Conditions.
Its a sad day for the mountains and those who will have to look at the vandalism for decades.

 

[nazdarovye]

Thanks, Peakbagr. I have no intention of communicating further with him, but was sufficiently alarmed by his response to want to share it; I'll gladly remove that post if you prefer.

I snowshoed that route a few years ago and share the group's dismay at this; one of the great joys of the 46ers is the chance to experience at least some of the peaks relatively unsullied by the trails, traffic and heavy use one finds so many other places.

 

[mavs00]

Thanks, Peakbagr. I have no intention of communicating further with him, but was sufficiently alarmed by his response to want to share it; I'll gladly remove that post if you prefer.

I have to admit, I'm very disapointed and alarmed with the response so far. My intenion was not to "bust stones", it was an honest attempt at education. If you go to thier -BLOGSITE-, and look around a bit, you will see some alaming things, but overall it looks like the site of a couple excited younger folks enthusiastically exploring the high peaks. WE"VE ALL BEEN THERE.

The fact that the publically wrote about the destruction, both on their blog and here, indicated to me that the infractions were hardly nefarious and more likely youthful trangressions. That was my hope.

I do not think that they have an understanding of how upset many in this community are about this. Were talking significnant LASTING unsighty that the rest of the hiking community will be forced to endure until nature heals herself.

Obvious some people are REALLY upset and have taken it further, which is within thier right. If I could offer a bit of advice, deleting blog entries, and deflecting blame is not the way to go. Not in today's world of screen capture and IP address tracking. You're better off showing contrition andsaying - "Hey, we effed up dudes, we thought we were doing the world a favor" and hoping that the DEC goes for re-education.

Denials, deflections and not accepting blame will likely create ugly feeling within the hiking community. I beleive the penalty for cutting live trees is $250 PER TREE, and I'm equally willing to bet you'll find no end of volunteers the go up there and count every marked tree.

It's a serious offense and not one you should just laugh off. For one, I just want you to learn, move on and go on enjoying the peaks in as unobtrusive manner as possible, just as thousands of us do each year.

 

[Peakbagr]

I re-read a post I'd made is haste. No criticism was intended. People are free to communicate with anyone they want, I was just trying to avoid having well-intentioned members give those clowns a forum here.

 

[Rick]

Tim & Alan,
Great jump on this. It annoys me that thousands have passed through on thier way to Couchsie with little damage (granted some cursing), but some yoyo has to "make a path" to help others.
Apparently he took the couchsie report off his website now.

 

[BorealChickadee]

I origianlly posted this on ADKForum after reading Tim's post (also above):

Good post Tim. I still believe they blazed in ignorance because they proudly posted what they did and were specific about the blazing in the trail report on VfTT.

I still believe that educating is still absolutely necessary. And just seeing that one response on VfTT where someone said they once did blazing in ignorance (they didn't say where) just goes to show that education is an essential part of being in the woods and everyone has something they can learn. Everyone, including me ,you (meaning every "you" reading this) and the very most multiple 46ers can learn soemting new.

I still believe that the DEC can, if they choose,fine etc and that would be appropriate especially seeing the reaction of dudenchikn. But I'd rather think they would impose hours of trail work.

What bothers me is the very defensive reaction, rather than contrition. That's sad. Dudenchikn are obviously passionate about their hiking, now it would be nice to see that translate into passion regarding the laws that protect the mountains.

But Tim, if nothing else, there are thousands of people that have read your post and responses on the three forums and my bet is you have reached, educated, a few others. Just look at ADKForum forum with so many, many newbies just getting into hiking asking questions. When they ask questions, not one of us thought to say "don't blaze". So your initial post may have not had the desired response in the initial target (defensiveness rather than contrition) but I'll bet that there are others out there who have learned what is acceptable and what is not in a wilderness setting.

EDIT: Already in just a few mintues there is another person (after my original posting on the other forum) speaking of educating friends who were misguided in their thinking of what would be beneficial to the trail. I think this discussion will have effects on others who really didn't know this was not acceptable, people who are out there hiking on marked trails now and will be going on herd paths at some point.

 

[jbrown]

And just seeing that one response on VfTT where someone said they once did blazing in ignorance (they didn't say where) just goes to show that education is an essential part of being in the woods and everyone has something they can learn.

Amen to that.

I'm the admitted former blazer, but rest assured the blazing did not occur in the Adirondacks but at a camp that my church owns. Thank God I learned about LNT and some basic backcountry ethics before I started hiking the Dacks. I do have friends that would think nothing of cutting down a live tree or cutting blazes, and I always talk to them about LNT before taking them hiking.

Good stuff from everyone here, too bad the offender seems to have taken a powder instead of using this as a learning experience.

 

[spongebob]

After Couchsachraga has been dishing out punishment for years, someone has made Couchie a victim. I think Couchie had it coming, but not in this way.

We all have our hiking books with the Leave No Trace pages in them. (Even though those Leave No Trace pages were once in the woods, and were made a "Trace" by being cut down....kind of ironic.) Not everyone reads them, and it is nice to bring up the ethic to remind people at times to respect the Earth.

If these dudes blazed the trail it is wrong. But detailing the story of the blazes past a certain point has not been about leave no trace in my opinion.

I understand this thread is trying to educate. But to me this is education by using embarrassment to make your point. Everyone has there own teaching style and learning methods and this is one I do not prefer.

 

[elhefe007a]

I respectively disagree with the above post.


Read THIS Email exchange someone posted on the adkhighpeaks.com forum. These guys are rediculous. It should go beyond just "education".