[at-l] Maine AT report

[ellen at clinic.net (Bob C.)]

>"...The contract was awarded to NEOC, who bid thousands more than the locals.
>$6000 is a lot of money, equivalent to the entire annual dues of over 100
>members. --- It's time to build a footbridge over the Kennebec. Let's just hope
>the MATC  isn't involved in deciding who gets the contract." argues TJ.

Hmmm. I wonder who TJ thinks ought to be involved in deciding who gets the
contract. He rejects the group that built and has maintained the trail for seven
decades plus.

This truly is a silly argument. TJ knows two things. The name and amount of the
successful trail ferry bidder. And comments by disgruntled losers. Neither he
nor I have been involved in the intense negotiations among the various
competitors. Nor are we privy to the comments and recommendations of ATC, which
nominally provides the money, nor, the National Park Service, which actually
provides most of the money.

 We differ in that I have been involved with MATC for three decades, have
 watched their judgments, heard and responded to their pleas for volunteers, and
 have learned to trust their collective wisdom.

 Neither of us truly knows whether the awarding of the ferry contract was a
 wise, or unwise, decision. I'm willing to respect the decision, however, based
 on my knowledge of previous decisions.

 I suspect TJ really agrees, but is one of those people who once they shoot off
 their mouths, can't bring themselves to retract.

 As for a pedestrian bridge over the Kennebec, that has been discussed for
 decades. It would cost several million dollars -- or the cost of a couple of
 centuries of ferry service -- totally destroy the sense of wildness of the
 river, and probably wouldn't last very long. The Kennebec looks like a pretty
 mild river as most thru hikers approach it each August, September and October.

 They don't appreciate the incredible torrent of water that flows past the AT
 each spring, and they especially can't conceive of the flow that comes down
 every decade or so when late winter and spring ice jams suddenly break.

   We aren't talking about a wilderness foot bridge in this location. We are
   talking a major engineering structure that probably would have to begin high
   on the trail in Caratunk, cross US 201 and the Kennebec, and end well up on
   the nearest hillside to the west.

    Weary



Bob