Does the Giant need a break?

[Pete_Hickey]

Unfortunately, I don't think there is a simple solution to this problem.

Most of us in the NorthEast don't realize how much freedom we have here. Most of us take it for granted. People bitching when rules (eg bear canisters) are imposed.

I just got back from Whitney. I had to reserve my permit (I could only get a day permit) over a month in advance. When I got there to pick up y permit, they gave me a WAG bag.... They asked me to pack out my 'waste' should I have to go. They told me I could pee anywhere. I thanked them for that. They say that their solar outhouse no longer works.

The camping areas around Whitney Portal had metal lockers to keep food in to protect it from the bears. Camping anywhere else required bear canisters. You would get a ticket if you left food in your car. Even things that looked like foot. You could get a ticket for having a DIRTY car!!!!!

Oh there are easy answers. We just don't want to accept them. What about our children/grandchildren?

 

[spaddock]

I stiffled my chuckle and eventually after a couple follow-up questions we determined they had come up the Beaver Meadows trail over Armstrong to UWJ. They were planning to go down the Wedge Brook trail which they saw on their map. Their map of course was the pamplet distributed by the Ausable club which shows the Lake Road and surrounding mountains. I hope they made it down ok.

When I was a kid if my parents had stayed at some fancy place like the Ausable Club (that never happened, motel 6 for me) and I saw a pamphlet for trails around the road, I guarantee I would have went up them, and explored around with little knowledge of the area. I probably would have done it in sneakers (no way my parents would buy fancy hiking boots for a growing boy), and maybe a k-way jacket (the jackets that folded up and turned into a fanny pack), probably a bottle of water and that's about it.

It almost seems like a case of, the more you know, the more you have to be worried about. UWJ is steep but we're not talking 14,000 feet and glacier travel here.

And why does everybody scoff at the "inexperienced"? You have to start somewhere.

As for closing trails. As a peakbagger how would you feel if they closed the one trail to the last peak on your list? Peaks with different trails is a different story I suppose.

Pete is right though, the rules for the Northeast are pretty light.


-Shayne

 

[ADK4Life]

Oh there are easy answers. We just don't want to accept them. What about our children/grandchildren?[/QUOTE]

I wish more people would keep this in mind.