[pct-l] Boy Scouts and trail etiquette

[Donna "L-Rod" Saufley]

It is so true that it only takes a few to spoil things for the many.

This is a huge subject and a growing problem amongst the thrus, from many reports.  While the offenders are a tiny percentage of a larger, infinitely more wonderful group, the behavior of a few and the swath of litter they leave really gets noticed.  In addition to careless sanitation habits, vandalization, and littering, PCT hikers have been responsible for numerous fires over the years.  The Apache Fire this past spring was one of them. I am sickened every time a hiker speaks of lighting fires every night out in our desperately dry terrain so prone to wild fires.  Fire rings are a blight and eyesore as well as being dangerous.  Alcohol stoves have been the culprit in more than a few wild fires started by thrus.

I agree wholeheartedly that the Scouts themselves are not to blame; they are children being taught by adult leaders who are apparently untrained.  Remembering back to my days as a den mother and cubmaster, recruiting parents isn't the easiest thing in the world.  One could only hope that volunteers had common sense.  As we all know, there's no guarantees of that anywhere to be found.

L-Rod  


-----Original Message-----
>From: Bob Sartini <r.sartini at rcn.com>
>Sent: Nov 25, 2008 4:01 AM
>To: edfaubert at yahoo.com, aslive at sbcglobal.net
>Cc: pct-l at mailman.backcountry.net
>Subject: Re: [pct-l] Boy Scouts and trail etiquette
>
>I think we've all seen thruhiker behavior at least as bad and likely worse 
>than any scout behavior. The scouts are usually young kids at least . The 
>thruhikers are not THAT young.
>
>Twice I've come a cross evidence of human defecation smack on the trail w/tp
>as a "joke". It was in a remote place so I doubt it was cubscouts.
>
>How about town behavior? I stick by my statistic. 6% of any group are  badly 
>behaved. From Marines to legislators, nothing unique to scouts.
>
>
>"EVERYTHING is in walking distance,"
>    ......Bamboo Bob
>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "ed faubert" <edfaubert at yahoo.com>
>To: <aslive at sbcglobal.net>
>Cc: <pct-l at mailman.backcountry.net>
>Sent: Monday, November 24, 2008 9:34 PM
>Subject: Re: [pct-l] Boy Scouts and trail etiquette
>
>
>
>Well it may be true about the leadership of these troops needed some lessons 
>on true wilderness expertise it may be a small percentage of the overall 
>scout troops.
>That said it brings back to mind some PCT hikers back in 2001 who were Eagle 
>Scouts who wrote graffeti on the pct as well as the CDT when they did that a 
>few years later........... and these guys were college students to 
>boot...........
>
>Meadow Ed
>--- On Mon, 11/24/08, Amanda L Silvestri <aslive at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
>> From: Amanda L Silvestri <aslive at sbcglobal.net>
>> Subject: [pct-l] Boy Scouts and trail etiquette
>> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
>> Date: Monday, November 24, 2008, 6:02 PM
>> My first reaction was to be shocked, after all scouting, I
>> thought, should be teaching young boys how to be one with
>> nature. Then I thought, "How much training do their
>> leaders get? How many potential leaders would put up with
>> a lot of training?" Are my standards too high?
>> Perhaps, but if you are going to introduce young boys to
>> nature, I would think that teaching respect for nature
>> should be a big part of that introduction. I guess I am
>> too much of a cynic to really be shocked, just
>> disappointed... again. Thank God for the trail community
>> and a few nature-reverent souls, and thank you Patti for
>> putting out that fire.
>>
>> Amanda (Shepherd)
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>
>
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