[pct-l] sierra club

[Ellen Shopes]

Those people who experience the wilderness in any form are those most likely 
to appreciate and protect it.  Organizations like the Sierra Club, Boy 
Scouts, etc, have their share of inexperienced folks.  I like to think that 
John Muir recognized that getting people out there was the first step in 
protecting a place (even at risk of degrading the wilderness experience).
At Grand Canyon, every year I would hear people complain about the 
commercial mule trips--they erode the trail, kick up dust, and the piss 
ponds were something to smell!  With all that, think of how many more people 
got to know the canyon intimately!  How enthused they came away from their 
mule trip about the wonders in the canyon!  We win advocates for the 
wilderness this way.
Ellen



>I didn't say what I read, but a few comments are pretty nasty.  But I have
> explored a good deal of what's in Peaks, Passes and Trails, and from what 
> I
> gather from my experience in comparison, a good deal more than the author.
> And I said accidents, not death, but you can include it if you like.  Some
> lady took a nice dive this last early season, I think it was approaching 
> Mt
> Mendal.  Just because you join a club doesn't mean you are particularly
> suited to its activities.  Anyone can buy tools; doesn't mean they are
> mechanically inclined. Catch my meaning.  You can root for the club all 
> you
> want, I just know what I've encountered and heard from trail crews and
> rangers over many years in the Sierra and Southwest.  I'm also not
> suggesting the SC or anyone involved is good, bad ,or irresponsible.
> However, it was a SC outing that the man suffered the bear slash from
> imporper food storage, and a SC outing that had the broken ankle on the
> Middlefork Kings. It was a SC outing when the woman tossed to her death 
> over
> near Darwin, and it was a SC outing that they had this water crossing
> trouble that could have been easily avoided.  It was also a SC outing I
> believe when Secor pitched a little while ago near Baldy area.  Nothing
> personal, and I have met some real nice folks from SC outings, but a good
> many have absolutley no business out in the backcountry. Ever heard of car
> camping?  So I'm on Muir Pass about nine years ago.  There is a small 
> group,
> about seven or eight.  Oh well, I'll just say howdy and have my snack 
> right.
> All good.  Then some lady gets on her cell phone and starts yackin away 
> like
> she's in the market or who knows what she was thinkin.  Really rude, so I
> put on my rude hat too and that was solved imediately.  Funny thing is I 
> ran
> into this group again about a few days later going out over Keasarge.  The
> lady looked like she'd been ostrisized and the rest of the group seemed
> kinda glad to see me and was very friendly.  Hum?  So what I'm telling you
> by this little story is having a high profile club sort of creates a sort 
> of
> image for all.  Sloppy camps, rude people, accidents, improper backcountry
> etiquite, and approaching the mountians with an attitude of propriety. 
> I'm
> sure it's actually worse outside the club like the father and son who got
> lost over Gardiner Pass for a couple days,or the PCT'r who tossed 'cause 
> he
> had no axe, but when you have a high profile people tend to notice more, 
> and
> when you have a name with Sierra in it, you have a lot to live up to.  I
> just don't see it.  What you have now is a big political lobby that has
> become a bit unwiedly and lost focus many years gone now.  Meanwhile the
> backcountry experience has deteriorated, and I'm not so sure part of the
> reason isn't the SC itself.  Change is good, try it.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Gary Schenk" <gwschenk at socal.rr.com>
> To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 4:09 PM
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] stream crossing near miss
>
>
>> On Monday 02 February 2009 23:54:06 Stephen wrote:
>>> Yeah and they tend to have a lot of accidents, seems a trait common to 
>>> SC
>>> outings.
>>
>> In 50+ years of the Sierra Club's Angeles Chapter's Sierra Peaks Section
>> climbing throughout the Sierra, there has been one death on an outing.
>>
>>>No disrepect to Mr Secor, but there are some interesting comments
>>>regarding him in a numberof peak registeries.
>>
>> Don't believe everything you read in a register.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Gary
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