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[at-l] What has the trail become?

What has the trail become?  It is a pathway full of tradition, but the
tradition is forever changing.  The trail does not follow the original
footpath.  The bureaucracy that oversees the trail must continually
change the trail in order to justify its own existance.  The original
visionaries that designed the trail wanted a wilderness way-station
hiking system, as system that was never realized, and a system that would
be soundly vilified today.  The traditional uses of the trail are
changing.  Discussion about these changes is healthy, but resistance to
these changes is futile...

A look through human history will show that individuals resisting
inevitable change are cast aside.  The trail is in a growth mode, the
results of which are unpredictable.  The popularity and usage of this
trail is increasing faster than some people can cope with.  If we look at
numbers of people, or the increase of angelism, or the infusion of
electronics, or the push of free-enterprise, we see a dramatic and
dynamic future for this trail...

How is the traditional volunteer system along the corridor going to be
affected?  Will there be an ever increasing pool of these volunteers, or
will the maintenance chores become a paid activity?

How is the ever increasing foot traffic going to affect the trail?  Will
there have be a second parallel trail of lesser/greater difficulty to
handle the traffic?  Will there be a system of usage fees required to
control the traffic?  Will a "hiking plan" be required, similar to a
pilots "flight plan".

For those of you that decry the changes that are now taking place, take a
realistic look at what is going on.  These changes are not the result of
any one person or any one entity, they are a result of the publicity that
this trail receives, and of the society that we live in.  I have not made
a case for whether these changes are good or bad, just that they are
inevitable.  Are you going to embrace these changes, or are you going to
be cast aside?

pittsburgh

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