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RE: [pct-l] Stop that museum thief!



Charlie >> The AT is buried by hikers, many of whom neither understand how
they are damaging that beautiful national treasure nor make any effort at
all to reduce their personal impacts.  These folks ARE enemies of the
AT...no matter how much of their hi-impact activity is done out of
ignorance...the damage is being done all the same.  All that I know to do is
to get the "minimum-impact" word out as quickly as possible.<<

Over the years since it's inception the AT has undergone numerous changes.
Often to the dismay of the previous generation. As a result we tend to rail
against the new comers as uncouth vagabonds that shouldn't be caught within
ten miles of our sacred trail.
The truth is, change is enviable. This is true for the PCT also. Much of the
damage on the AT is blamed on the new comers while we tend to overlook many
other equally important factors.
Damage is due only in part to the increase in trail traffic. A larger and
greater damage is cause by actions taken often far away from the trails, in
our homes and in countless board rooms. This comes from pollution,
urbanization, roads built on or near the trails and natural resource
utilization (mining, lumber, geothermal, etc.).
Just take the case of roads. More roads provide for easier access to the
trails. The easier access the more hikers. The more hikers the more damage.
So who's to blame the hiker or the people building the roads? We all are
responsible for the roads. We want the resources (wood, recreation, etc)
made available by building them. The closest reasonable access to Springer
used to be 7 miles away. Quite a few potential thru-hikers never made it to
the start of the trail before giving up and going home. Today that's been
reduced to .9 miles. Most thru-hikers (old and new) use the new road to get
access to the start of the trail. All the LNT in the world won't do much
about those roads.
Pollution also takes a significant toll on the environment of the trail.
People on the trail today don't remember the extensive stands of Spruce on
Clingman's Dome in the Smokies. Except for the many standing dead trees.
Some scientist are beginning to believe that the strength of this year's El
Nino was due to global warming brought on by man's activities.
We draw lines on maps and declare areas to be different types (urban,
wilderness) and seem to think that nature gives one hoot about our imagery
boarders. So when we drive up to trailhead and step foot into that world, we
are to assume some role that we wouldn't consider in our ordinary life.
The real problems with the wilderness or wild areas are not what happens
when we cross it borders. The damage is due to our actions in the months any
years we are away from it. Our decisions on a day by day basis have more
impact than if everyone entering the wilderness could glide on a magic
carpet and never touch the underlying soil.
I don't have a problem with LNT but if we lull ourselves in believing that
it will somehow solve the ills of the wilderness, we're barking up the wrong
tree.

Another part of the problem lies with those of us who have done a thru-hike.
We return home and recount our experiences and inspire another group that go
out and inspire another group, and on and on. The increase growth of hikers
makes it economically feasible for other trail services to be undertaken.
These services range from books, to lodges, to local stores carrying trial
foods, etc. Each additional service makes it easier for subsequent round
thru-hikers to accomplish their journeys. They again fuel the fire.
Now we have a case where everyone running around blaming everyone else for
destroying the experience of peace and solitude we once enjoyed. All the
while not taking any responsibility for any part of the problem we might
have played.
You said, "There appears to be NOWHERE near the AT-levels of dependable
long-term support  infrastructure available."
Well it's that infrastructure that's in part responsible for changing the
character of the trail. In a post today Dan "Wingfoot" on trailplace's
mailing list rails against the changes in character of the thru-hikers of
the present day AT. While he acknowledges his role in popularizing the AT,
he fails to understand how his own actions lead to the changes he doesn't
like.
We must all take responsibility for the effect actions have on the trails,
either intentional or not.
Wildernesses are not museum's and the borders extend all around us. If we
really want to make LNT work, maybe we should expand it to provide
suggestions on how our individual daily decisions effect the environment,
both local and global.
Ron Moak


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