[at-l] Trail Conservation

[daveh@psknet.com (Dave Hicks)]

Well put.

As you may have noticed, I have posted many times why I thing that nude
hiking, mooning the cog RR, stealth camping, breaking Baxter rules, etc. is
the best way to kill the support for our
sport/recreation/hobby/way-of-life/or whatever.

If we want to kill the AT for our kids and grandkids lets all thumb our
collective noses at regulations, ethics, convention, good taste, etc.

That way, we will be part of the movement to kill it.

I am no prude.  I posture no superior ethic.  I am grabbing no moral high
ground.  I am just stating the practical facts of life, as I see them.

My observations are based on the following: I attend more "government
partner" meetings about the AT and other trails, outdoor recreational
projects, etc. than I would like.  I'm retired from the Government.  I have
watched how government decisions get made, for many years.

We in the hiking / trail community are under attack.  It is not necessarily
vicious, "I-hate-you" type attack.  Rather it is the
"you-are-in-competition-with-me-for-resources,
so-I'll-cut-you-off-at-the-knees-to-get-something-else-which-I-want-funded"
type of attack.  Many other groups see us in the trail community as the
king-of-the-hill, who they think have far too big a slice of the resource
pie.

Anyone who supports behavior which offends, is just handing ammunition to
those who would take what we need -- funds, and trails.  The horse folk, the
ATV's, the snowmobiles, the four-wheelers, the bicyclers, etc want your
trail to ride on.  Everyone want the $s for another pet project.

Good press, good vibes help us.  The reverse hurts us.  The degree to which
we tarnish the typical person's image (or stereotype, if you will) of what
we and the AT is all about, we erode our much-needed support for the AT, and
what is important to us.

Chainsaw

BTW -- Grey one, when next you need to post something like this, you might
want to add the SNP to your list of places near an urban area where the
hiker is the minority.




----- Original Message -----
From: <greyowl@rcn.com>
To: <at-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Sunday, November 11, 2001 7:21 PM
Subject: [at-l] Trail Conservation


SNIP
>                             It takes only one stupid stunt from one
> individual to ruin it for everyone else.  Too many (thru)hikers think
> that this is their hike and they can do what they dam well please.
> To quote Felix's boss 'It is not what you say but what you do'.
SNIP