[at-l] dead list?

["cosmo catalano, jr." <Cosmo.A.Catalano@williams.edu>]

SloeToe wrote:

"We're doing like WAY quiet. I think RamBunny's told everybody to stop
posting til she figures out the difference between regular and digest mode
on her Aye-Oh-El account. And everybody's listening. It's dead."
####

Dead list?  Let me troll a bit.  Seems the ATC will shortly be 
formulating a specific policy on advertising on the trail.  What do 
you all think about it?  Before you give the typical response "of 
course there shouldn't be advertising on the trail", let me tell you 
a true story:

Last year (1999) about 1/2 mile north of Tom Leonard Shelter was a 
blazed side trail that led to a retreat center on Lake Buel Rd. 
There was a very small (3x5 card) note on a tree saying where the 
trail went, and welcoming hikers.  The center could be reached by the 
road, but it was much more direct to take the side trail directly to 
the place rather than following the AT to the road crossing and then 
road walking for about a mile west.

Seems this side trail was blazed across NPS and State AT Corridor 
lands by the owners of the retreat to make it easier for hikers to 
get to it.  I will go on to say that the retreat charged only a small 
fee, and the hikers were not a significant source of support for the 
center's activities.  The owners were really just offering a service 
to a community they knew could use it.

Now, legally, blazing any trail on corridor lands w/o the permission 
of the NPS in consultation with the local club and ATC is not 
permitted.  The signs were taken down, and the blazed painted out 
(first by the local Corridor Monitor, and again after they were 
replace by the State DEM).

After much forthing and backing, the owners were explained the 
concept of a protective corridor for the trail; but they could not 
see (and still don't) why hikers should be "forced" to take a road 
walk,when they could more easily come directly to the center through 
the woods.

Of course what has happened now is the SOBO's tell the NOBO's to look 
for the painted-out blazes north of the shelter and follow them to 
the retreat.  The damage to the corridor has already been done.

Some questions:
Was the Corridor actually "damaged"?

Did/Does this side trail negatively affect the hiking experience?

What--if any--services for hikers should be available to hikers on 
the trail (From the ATC mission statement: "...by their own unaided 
efforts...")?

If advertising for (or notices of) services are to be allowed at 
certain points on the trail (trailhead kiosks or sign boards come to 
mind)  who's to say what form the notices are to take?  Will we need 
an "AT Sign Commission"?

Should we actively work to discourage guides like the Companion from 
including information (the Cookie Lady, or Tom Lezarde's (sp?) house) 
in their pages?

IMHO: The only time I want to see any kind of sign that is not a 
trail information sign (mileage, connecting trail, shelter, campsites 
etc), is at a major road crossing.  And even then, I want them to be 
confined to a sign board, so I can ignore them if I choose.

Let's rumble!

Cosmo
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