horse note [at-l] Compromise? Hopefully but not always.

[rafeb at speakeasy.net (Rafe Bustin)]

At 02:21 PM 8/30/2005 -0400, Jim Bullard wrote:

>At 10:54 AM 8/30/2005 -0700, Sloetoe wrote:
>>### A horse may not make the noise of an ATV, rafe, but it is
>>FAR more destructive. MBs can pass over a whole lot of trail and
>>not make a dent, and a well-operated ATV (per force of its wide
>>tires) distributes weight well and (generally) lacks big horse
>>power, but a horse, with one hoof, can take out an entire
>>afternoon's trail-building, back-breaking, sunburntning,
>>bee-stinging, nettle mashing labor with that one swipe. Then
>>repeat it three more times.
>
>You'd best check that with Weary. I expect his opinion of ATVs is somewhat 
>different than yours. :) And yeah, I read the "well operated" part. How 
>many "well operated" ATVs have you encountered in the back country? Also 
>they cover wayy more ground with continuous contact than either a hiker or 
>a horse.


Well, first, I gotta wonder why I'm responding to
Jim's response to Sloe -- and why I didn't see
Sloe's response myself.  Whatever.

I've never been a trail maintainer so I'm not looking
at it from that perspective.  I'd rather have nothing
but foot traffic on the trail.

I'm looking at it from the perspective of "the
wilderness experience".  And nothing kills
it for me faster than the sound of a gas engine.

Horses at least have some connection to America's
"pastoral" culture and history (vis a vis the official
ATC mission.)

Can you imagine a jet-ski at Pierce Pond or
Rainbow Lake?   Grrrrrrrr.


rafe b
aka terrapin


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