[at-l] Authority in the Whites

[shane@theplacewithnoname.com (Shane Steinkamp)]

> "...If an AMC person tells me, "You can't tent
> here.", and I say, "Smoke
> you.",  what happens?"
>
> First off, you should feel like a jerk ;-).
> There has got to be a better
> response to come up with.

You're right.  My question wasn't meant to come across like
an arse, but rather to raise the question.  I have always
complied with rangers and park personnel.  I don't take too
kindly, however, when a fellow hiker or non-official
personnel tell me that I can't do.

My best experience with a ranger was in RMNP, where a ranger
came by and said, "OH!  You're not supposed to camp here.
Let me show you where you can camp.  He waited for me to
pack it back up, and then hiked me about a mile to where I
should camp.  While I was packing up I asked, "Why can't I
camp here?"  He gave me the rule for that section of trail,
and I didn't have a problem with compliance.  We had a very
nice conversation.

Another time in RMNP, I had camped in a very good spot, with
an astounding view, but it was a small space that only one
or two people could camp in.  Nearing dusk, a group of four
fellow hikers came by and a woman in the group said, "You
can't camp here!"  I asked, "Why not?"  She said, "Because
we're going to camp here."  I think I actually said, "Smoke
you."  After a choice word or two, she stormed off with her
little group to go find a ranger, but they never returned...

> That said, the rules are such that many, many
> people who should understand
> them, don't.  If someone from the AMC (or more
> likely an weekend expert)
> tells you that, there is a good chance they
> simply don't know what they are
> talking about.  The reason I know this is I used
> to be such a blow hard,
> albeit one who kept his mouth shut along the
> Trail most of the time.  Then I
> read the regulations.

And I don't have a problem with that.  My real question was
what kind of enforcement is to be found along the trail?
Generally helpful, or generally hard nosed?

> In the Whites, the rules are published and can be
> picked up at any ranger
> station.  They are also published on the web at:
>
> http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/white/recreation/land_abov
> e/backcountry_rules.html

Thanks. They don't seem onerous, even if they are long and
confusing.

> BTW, the chances of seeing a ranger in the Whites
> is much less than seeing a
> Bear and/or a moose.  And you have to be real
> lucky to see either of them.
> Most thru-hikers never do.

Thank you for your clear and informative post.

Shane