[pct-l] Why California's Trails Are Disappearing From Our Maps

[be hope]

In June 2010 I was on a High Sierra Volunteer Trail crew in Kings Canyon.
We spent a week on the part of the historic Kanawyer Trail which descends
into Kings Canyon from Sequoia National Forest which had not been
“maintained” for a decade or two. We heard about the HSVT crew working
north of Kennedy Meadows on the PCT ~~ including the bridge. The following
month I saw their good work first hand: wow! That year I had no problem
staying on the the trail in Cow Creek Canyon. But in 2011 and 2013 I lost
the trail in Cow Creek Canyon (around WA 0720, Half-Mile map/2011 edition)
and followed the now “alternate” trail which is very steep and clearly not
the PCT to re-join the PCT just before the first Olancha Pass trail
junction. By 2013, that “alternate” trail was well beaten into the steep
hillside by trekkers like me.  Is the “alternate” route is turning into the
“main” trail?  In 2013 I rested during the steep climb and wondered about
erosion problems. Trail traffic over time will clearly result in more
(serious?) erosion problems.

In regards to J. Olson's comment. . . . .

"This disappearance of trails is one of the consequences in the 30 year shift
in tax burden from corporations and the wealthy to the middle class. I
remember hiking in the 50s with my family in northern<California and
meeting trail crews contracted by the forest service. They are long gone
for the most part... . . ."

The data clearly supports J. Olson's comment. The “old economy” has been
replaced (for better or worst) by a “new-dismal economy”

As the forest service erases trails plus downsizes or cease their trail
crew operations, demands/burdens and costs are being shifted to more
volunteers and trail crew organizations. There will always be an important
place for trail crew volunteers, youthful trail crew volunteers working for
a modest (meager?) stipend, and volunteer organizations doing good work in
parks and wildernesses. After serving on three trail crews, it struck me
that too many of my younger, dedicated, experienced, and hardworking
colleagues were marking time because of the “new-dismal economy”. And while
they decided to incur student loans and incur debt (and some may have
luxurious patterns of consumption), is the magnitude of student loans
turning some into indentured servants?

And what type of new demands/burdens and costs have evolved with the High
Sierra Volunteer Trail Crew organization? At one time, it was only “trail
crew”. Now they also secure grants and recruit volunteers to work on
cleaning up pot operations in national forests after receiving the “all
clear” from law enforcement. Does the allocation of “pot operations”
resources conflict with the allocation of resources for “trail crew”? After
reading the Fresno Bee article (link below) about the report on Shane
Krogen's tragic death, I wonder (without assigning blame to any one person
or any particular agency) if his death would have never taken place if he
was NOT on a project to clean up a pot operation. We all lost a very, very
strong advocate for the wilderness and a special person who created many,
many opportunities for “trail crew.”

be hope

Fresno Bee, January 22, 2014

http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/01/22/3726493/usaf-helicopter-fall-victim-used.html