Re: [at-l] About White Lies

--- "Billie H. Cleek" <cleek@csc.smsu.edu> wrote:
> How do the huts minimize impact? What's their logic
> on that one? It seems to me that shelters (or ZERO 
> structures, only minimal campsites) would do
> more to encourage minimum impact, because huts will,
> by their nature, attract many people that simply 
> wouldn't go to the woods otherwise, and
> since their less likely to go to the woods, those
> same people are probably more destructive out of 
> ignorance than those of us that actually backpack
> for fun.

I think the words that might be used by them is
"concentrate impact" and therefore "minimize impact"
elsewhere. I don't really know. But, I think one of
the
big original justifications for the huts was safety,
particularly during bad weather and winter. Some of
those huts have been around a long time before the
hoards.  AMC has also been around a long time and the
Whites (and the huts) have been sometime of a flagship
playground for the AMC for a long time...including
before the A.T. was around. What I am trying to say is

that there are justifications and then there are 
AMC history and culture. This and "Well, they're 
already up there" seems to lead to circular reasoning 
that seems not to fit with recent conditions.

I actually think the jewel facility of the AMC on the
A.T. is the Mohican Outdoor Center in the Delaware 
Water Gap, managed by a former thru-hiker and
ridgerunner. Their prices are much more reasonable
for all hikers alike and their attitude is good, too.
I don't know why but the A.T. Companion doesn't
seem to mention it much. I've never looked at WF's
book
so....

I am an occasional volunteer instructor at MOC, so
you can take me with a grain of salt if you like. ;-)

Turbo Turtle 2000

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