[pct-l] drinking with the enemy

[brick@fastpack.com (Brick Robbins)]

At 08:25 AM 4/12/01, CMountainDave@aol.com wrote:
> This action kinda puts them on my good side so how 
>do I approach them as to the negative impacts that many on this list feel  
>outweigh their generosity? 

Jardine has polarized the PCT community into "pro horse - anti-horse."

Instead we should be against OVER USE. By horses OR humans.

Horses ARE harder on the trail than people, but the problems don't come from the occasional recreational rider. There just aren't enough of them to make a difference.

The problems come from the COMMERCIAL pack outfits that send many strings  of horses each day over the same trails. They are even exempt from the existing quotas.

The "horses are bad" point of view is divisive. The recreational horse people help the trail (example: assisting in trail projects) and organizations like the Backcountry Horsemen help us protect the trail from mechanized use and urban encroachment. Face it, they have more money, and are better connected, than the average hiker.

"Overuse (by anybody) is bad" is much more inclusive. The only ones against that would be the Pack outfits themselves.  I bet the majority of the Backcountry Horsemen would support this view.

We can be against the vast majority of "horse damage" and still keep the recreational equestrians as friends and allies.

All IMHO.

-Brick