[pct-l] Deep Creek detour

[aslive at charter.net]

Was it the PCTA or the Forest Service that closed the route?  I had 
stoped in at the Lake Arrowhead Ranger Office and they told me that the 
PCT was closed and it was they who put out the re-route signs.

Shepherd


On Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 11:53 AM, Elisabeth M. Chaplin wrote:

> I think Tim summed it up perfectly. As far as I could ascertain, the 
> trail was never legally closed. I hiked half of the detour, which was 
> along an OHV recreation area, and not designed and frankly dangerous 
> for foot traffic. The other half I hiked along the creek, which 
> presented no hugely risky situations in my estimation -- we would 
> encounter much, much more dangerous conditions later in the hike. 
> Amongst us hikers it created confusion, while damaging the PCTA's 
> credibility. Whose interests were they protecting?  I would still like 
> an honest, straightforward explanation from the PCTA regarding why 
> they felt a "reroute" was necessary. I presume it hasn't been formally 
> addressed if this topic is still floating. Liz, Class of 2011.
>
>
> Timothy Nye wrote: I think that the difference is that the PCTA, the 
> organization whose
> representative 'closed' the trail, I believe can really only do so in 
> an
> advisory capacity.  The prohibition against ATV's I think is 
> regulatory,
> but I could be wrong.
>
> I will say that with respect to closures the Deep Creek posting cost 
> the
> PCTA credence as far as the hikers I was with were concerned.  The 
> story
> about the boy who cried wolf comes to mind. A closure should be 
> reserved
> for an actual threat to safety beyond what one normally encounters on 
> the
> trail as a whole, rather than an impact on the trail which fails to
> increase the risk of it's use to what is routinely encountered on 
> other
> sections.  A warning, rather than a closure, with detour offered as a
> choice,would appear to have been more appropriate in this particular 
> case.
>
>>
>> Message: 15
>> Date: Mon, 21 Nov 2011 10:00:25 -0500
>> From: <gschenk1 at roadrunner.com>
>> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Deep Creek Detour
>> To: PCT List <pct-l at backcountry.net>, Gary Swing
>>    <homelessontherange at yahoo.com>
>> Message-ID: <20111121150025.55U92.211202.root at hrndva-web03-z01>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
>>
>> If we are cool with hiking closed trail segments, do we have any 
>> right to complain about motorbikers using the trail?
>>
>> What's the difference between hikers ignoring signage and bikers 
>> ignoring signage?
>>
>> Just wondering.
>> Gary
>>
>> ---- Gary Swing <homelessontherange at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>> I really enjoyed the hot springs and the canyon itself was scenic. 
>>> Like Gourmet
>>> (Tim Nye) wrote, there was graffiti in the lower part of the canyon 
>>> and
>>> a river ford which I didn't see as a significant issue. Perhaps if 
>>> the
>>> water was colder.... Nobody hassled us when we went through. The 
>>> hillside traverse over the washed out muddy section was a bit 
>>> annoying, but that was nothing compared to obstacles on other 
>>> sections of the trail! Several people we talked to about the detour 
>>> route complained about the ATV traffic on it. We thought the detour 
>>> was put into place because certain people wanted to keep Deep Creek 
>>> Canyon to themselves.
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>>
>>> "Half Fast"
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --- On Tue, 11/15/11, Timothy Nye <timpnye at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> From: Timothy Nye <timpnye at gmail.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Deep Creek Detour
>>> To: "Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes" 
>>> <diane at santabarbarahikes.com>
>>> Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net
>>> Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2011, 12:34 PM
>>>
>>> Well, Half Fast, I don't know if I'd say it was the bast part of the
>>> desert, but it was very scenic.? I ignored the detour, and so 
>>> apparently
>>> did the steady stream of day trippers carrying in ice chests; by the 
>>> time
>>> I'd been at the hot springs for five minutes I was the proud 
>>> possesor of
>>> two Mike's Hard Lemonades and two cans of beer, which the providers 
>>> were
>>> happy to repossess as empties after I shared them with my friends.
>>>
>>> I concluded that that the detour was actually not for the slide that 
>>> was to
>>> the south of the river crossing, but for the washed out muddy 
>>> submerged
>>> section, with a temporary hillside traverse, that streched for part 
>>> of a
>>> mile north of the crossing.? Law enforcement tried to chase us off 
>>> the
>>> trail at the crossing, claiming by bullhorn from the dam area that 
>>> we were
>>> trespassing on private property even though we were on the trail.? 
>>> We were
>>> subsequently told that there had been a murder in that
>>> area the day before, so that could explain their attitude.? Some of 
>>> the day
>>> trippers were armed; one had a pistol on his hip and a couple large 
>>> belted
>>> sheath knives which made me somewhat nervous, (there is spray 
>>> painted gang
>>> grafitti on the rocks by the trail for part of it) but then they 
>>> could have
>>> been PCT hikers based on some of the postings here about carrying 
>>> weapons.
>>> ______________________________
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