Raymond
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Anyone else reminded of KEDS? At least those guys went right back out and put things right, as far as I know.
Neil said:My take on this felony is that the perps were out there with a nice sharp machete and all those trees were just sitting there. I bet they were itching to do some damage but felt the need (ie. understood in a vague, undefined way it was wrong) to justify/excuse thier actions. As a result they did the world a big, fat "favour" by blazing the trail to Couchie. These young fools and their money are soon to part. Not that the heavy fines coming their way will undo the damage.
I think is it was a little bit of both coupled with ignorance of backcountry ethics. I hope that in addition to fines, there is also a community service portion to the punishment that requires the replanting of trees equal to the number that they damaged. I think this also needs to be put in full view of the general public, not just the hiking community, showing what they did was wrong, why it was wrong, and what happens to people that break the law in the backcountry in a hope that this will help educate people to prevent this from happening again in the future.Rik said:My take is that they were scared out there in the woods. Scared enough to carry a machete, scared they wouldn't find their way back, scared they wouldn't make the summit...The defensive responses just add to my feelings that they were scared. In my opinion, they had no business back there with their obvious lack of experience/knowledge.
I don't understand your argument that the blazes making the climb any easier or more difficult under any weather conditions. I have not yet done these mountains and it saddens me to know that this willfull destruction will lessen the experience for me and many others for a long time to come. My understanding is that the challanges come from the distance and terrain, not the route finding, correct me if I'm wrong. These mountains will still be a challenge with or without these blazes. I hope that justice will be served.Skyclimber2971w said:If others must make another attempt on Couchsachraga this Winter because of their unsuccessful attempt on it last Winter, that is all in "The Game of Winter Hiking." Part of the challenge of Winter Hiking is wondering if we are going to make the summit or not. I have made six successful Winter climbs of Couchsachraga and they weren't successful because the route was blazed out for me, with a machette.
One's success rate should not be at the expense of the trees being blazed out for them, Summer or Winter. I too, am extremely upset of the trail destruction up this Mountain. Couchsachraga always afforded me that Winter Challenge that most Winter Climbers crave for!
I don't understand your argument that the blazes making the climb any easier or more difficult under any weather conditions.
imarchant said:I don't understand your argument that the blazes making the climb any easier or more difficult under any weather conditions.
My understanding is that the challanges come from the distance and terrain, not the route finding.
These mountains will still be a challenge with or without these blazes.
Daniel Eagan said:Just not the same challenge.
Raymond said:Anyone else reminded of KEDS? At least those guys went right back out and put things right, as far as I know.
lumberzac said:I hope that in addition to fines, there is also a community service portion to the punishment ...
timmus said:I am one of those who love the challenge of routefinding.
When I did Couch last winter, I felt like I stole it because the trails were all broken (by Pin-Pin, so I knew they were going straight to the summit). Plus the sun was shining with 46 F temp. It was waaay too easy. But that was because of the circumstances, not because of a ignorant hiker.
I know next time I will hike that peak I am sadly going to look for those marks. The guy screwed it for me.
Gandalf said:...The paths to (and among) the Santanonis are generally obvious enough without blazes, rendering the cuttings as unnecessary as they are ugly. ...
Skyclimber2971w said:I personally don't think it took a lack of education here, it took a lack of intelligence on this guy's part. Only common sense should of told Eric that hacking the whole Forest, wasn't the right thing to do.
Hey yeah exactly! Can someone post a picture of the guy so that we know what he looks like next time we go on the trails. I wanna get a good look at this guy! I'm gonna take his axe away!Kevin Rooney said:Ah, finally .... someone close by to hate! No more faceless evil-doer terrorists thousands of miles away - we've got someone close by to focus our anger on! And we even know his name, his motives, his birthday, his mind & heart inside and out - what more could a hater ask for? Let's just focus on him for days on end - to borrow a line from Johnny Dangerously - "Shoot the fargin bastig!"
GNR said:The only way a community can teach its members is by treating the members kindly when they make a mistake, not by treating them harshly.
This is an important issue. Most likely, it is NOT. When we lay out a trail for a reroute, we do it based on slope, type of soil, lay of the land, etc. Once a route is laid out, we then cut it. The inexperienced tend to choose the route with the least resistance. Unfortunately, marked like that, it will become the standard route.imarchant said:Also, since it is obvious that the person who did this is not the brightest, who is to say they marked the best route to the summit?
Pete_Hickey said:One thing to realize, is that the guy THOUGHT he was doing a good deed. He didn't do it for himself, he was doing it to make things easier for others. It wasn't done to be destructive. He was probably expecting "thanks" from everyone. No wonder he was defensive.
I know next time I will hike that peak I am sadly going to look for those marks. The guy screwed it for me.
Easy to confirm. If it was for returning, the blazes are on the backs of the trees (as heading in).Rik said:I disagree Pete. I believe he was scared of not finding his way as I posted earlier. He also has plans to go back for Sant/Panther so again I'm not convinced he did what he did for others.
Maybe he learned to hike in the jungle--from what I have read, chopping one's way through the undergrowth with a machete is common practice in such places.Pete_Hickey said:Or maybe Army Survival manuals. They don't practice LNT, and they're getting popular these days. Go talk to your local Rambo-wanabe, and ask him what he knows about finding your way through the forest, and I'll bet blazing is the first thing that comes up.
Some people just read different books and watch different movies.
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