[pct-l] wheeled backpack

[David Ellzey]

My job requires me to work with the ADA (specifically, section 508a) frequently and I think there is a basic misunderstanding going on here. The ADA primarily establishes that managers of property to provide equitable access to people with disabilities under penalty of law. There are however exclusions and some of you have pointed out that the PCT is one of those. In that the agencies managing the trail are exempt from providing equitable access to people with disabilities, you are correct. 

However, this only means they are not required to grade it to 7%, pave it 36" wide with curbs and install guard rails. It does not in any way mean that those agencies can deny access to a disable person in a wheelchair. Hypothetically, if a wheelchair were invented that could handle the trail as it exists, then a legally disabled person who required such a wheelchair could use it on the PCT, even if that device were motorized. Given the difficulty of the trail, I think it will be a long time before any such wheelchair is invented. In the meantime it seems that livestock is the closest thing and its inherently legal.

So in short, the wilderness agencies are excluded from conforming to access standards but cannot deny special access.

Back to the original post about the wheeled backpack. Unless your son is legally disabled then the short answer is no. If he is, I would say it's a horrible idea as having a bunch of weight on a wheel behind you sounds like a balance nightmare, especially on steep downhill sections. I would also venture to guess that the added weight of the wheeled rig makes it a poor choice in comparison to the ultralight approach. If your base weight with a wheeled pack is 20lbs and it takes half that weight off your back then you can get a similar result with a 10lbs base weight without all the complications of a wheel on a rough path. Finally mass is mass, even if it has wheels. You are adding mass to ease the weight bearing on his back but he would still have to haul that extra mass up and down hills. It would take its toll.

BigToe