[at-l] LNT is wrong IMHO

[jtwilkins@comcast.net (jtwilkins@comcast.net)]

You have to consider the trail its self is all ready a done deal. Their
isn't really much more damage you can do to a well worn dirt path. Even if
the path gets deeper, its better then getting wider or making a temp around
the puddle path. Its also easier to tell people to walk through the puddle
then to have tons of people carefully in their minds walk around the puddle.
You really have to look at 100 or 200 hikers doing the same thing. 200
people making the puddle a little deeper isn't that bad because it the all
ready well worn trail. But 200 people bushwhacking around the puddle will do
a lot more damage to the veg and surrounding area.
JTW
----- Original Message -----
From: "kahley" <kahley@ptd.net>
To: <at-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Monday, March 25, 2002 8:58 AM
Subject: [at-l] LNT is wrong IMHO


> I did a little experiment these last two weeks.
> I created a mudhole to study the dynamics and
> based on that study, I think the LNT advice to
> plow thru is wrong if the idea is to minimize
> damage to the trail bed.
>
> First, an established mud hole consists of
> a layer of muddy water over a layer of soft
> ground (which I'll call transitional strata) over
> a layer of undisturbed but saturated ground.
>
> When you walk through the puddle, you
> impact the fragile, saturated. under layer and
> convert it to transitional layer which has
> lost the typical soil structure.  This has
> the effect of deepening the hole or rather
> deepening the impacted strata/area of the trail bed.
>
> Also, when the mudhole is in the "muck"
> stage, walking through it removes considerable
> amount of soil as mud clinging to boots which
> also deepens the hole by removing material.
> I did a scrape of my boots during one particularly
> mucky period and I had removed a cup of material
> per boot.  No wonder they keep getting deeper and deeper.
>
> Based on these observations, I don't know why
> the recommendation is to plow through.
> Somebody tell me where I'm wrong?
>
> Now I'm not recommending "skirting" as a
> preferred practice.  The areas adjacent to
> the mud hole are saturated and will also
> loose their structure under the impact of a
> boot.  You will jut make the hole wider.
>
> AFAIKS, the real LNT way would be to buskwack
> carefully around the problematic section until
> stepping stones can be laid or proper drainage installed.
>
> Comments?
>
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