[pct-l] mechanical clearing of trail

[Marvin and Shirley Barg]

As a Canadian who has hiked the PCT, hand tool labor in so called wilderness
areas has bewildered me for years, hence the following IMO vent. As others
have written, this notion of using hand tools belongs to another era of
cheap wages and BTW, a younger and less selfish (ie. more likely to
volunteer and get 'er done) populace. Not to use 'machines' to keep trails
open in arbitrary wilderness areas smacks of a lack of common sense and an
impossibly romantic view of wilderness. Just sayin'.  Canada has its share
of foibles, but I do appreciate that when our rangers or park staff park
first open trails in spring, they're packing...packing a chain saw. I rarely
find trees blocking the park trails.

Grampa Kilt