[at-l] Side trails on A.T. corridor

[DataBook97@aol.com]

In a message dated 10/26/2000 8:47:26 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
Cosmo.A.Catalano@williams.edu writes:

<< Was the Corridor actually "damaged"?
 
 Did/Does this side trail negatively affect the hiking experience? >>

    In my opinion, side trails such as the one that Cosmo described should be 
encouraged, rather than discouraged.  They provide benefits for hikers and do 
not, in general, have a negative impact on the corridor.

    Of course, the corridor management committee should approve these trails, 
and right now, it seems that there are no guidelines that would permit them.  
This certainly needs to be addressed.

    And, yes, once a trail is blazed, it's kind of silly to unblaze it if it 
still serves a useful purpose, as any skilled hiker -- and, hopefully, all AT 
thru-hikers fit in this category -- can easily follow the blacked-out blazes.

        Daniel Chazin
        Teaneck, NJ
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