[pct-l] Shelter Conundrum

[CMountainDave at aol.com (CMountainDave@aol.com)]

Back in the 1930s, about one hundred shelters were built by the CCC in the 
Olympics.
 Over the years they were allowed to deteriorate due to budget restraints
  When most of the Olympic Mountains were declared wilderness in the 1980s, 
the Park superintendent not only continued to neglect them, but started a 
program to eliminate them, citing the no structure clause in the Wilderness Act 
(hard-liners say bridges, outhouses, and backcountry ranger stations are 
structures and therefore illegal --some even include trails themselves)
  The current Superintendent is now trying to save the remaining shelters 
using the argument that they are historic structures and that an exception to the 
Wilderness Act should have be made when wilderness status was made. If the 
shelters are illegal, why not backcountry ranger stations also built by the CCC?
  Another point is that recreation is to be facilitated in wilderness areas. 
The Olympics contain rain forests. It rains a lot there. So wouldn't rain 
shelters be considered to be facilitating recreation, giving people an opportunity 
to stay dry in a very wet area instead of having to just lay around in a tent 
moping about the weather, or possibly inviting hypothermia?
   All this is currently being hashed out in court. Who knows? If the shelter 
advocates win out, the NPS may have to replace all those shelters they 
destroyed and/or neglected
 Once again, reason should prevail. Backcountry lodges with electric power is 
going too far. But an historic 3 sided lean-to meant for shelter from the 
rain in a rain forest?
 David C