RE: [pct-l] rumors?2

[Ronald Moak <ronm@fallingwater.com>]

		I'm not "cranked up" as you so nicely put it. I'm
confused, hurt, -
		and offended.       bj

Brigitte,

You may be offended but at times you've offended others on this list.
I'm certainly not seeking to boot you or anyone else with strong
feelings off the list. Granted people may from time to time get heated
and we may even offend. However, it's a long way from the point of
booting people. There are enough tightly moderated list that use that
power to impose specific views. I - for one - don't want to see this
list disintegrate to that level. 

As to permits from Forest to Forest, one has to admit that it is very
confusing. From the thru-hikers point of view it is even more so. This
is because we generally don't have access to Forest Service or National
Park offices prior to entering the forest. Most of our work in
determining those requirements must be done in the weeks and months
prior to the hike. 

Day or week hikers generally enter the National Forest by car and have
passed a Forest Service office on the way. For them it is a simple
manner to drop in and get any information or permits as needed.

Now I suppose that we could call each Forest prior to the hike, however,
it's generally not high on the planning agenda of most thru-hikers. In
an effort to checkout the information available over the net - assuming
you have internet access - I did a quick search of several Forest
Service sites along with the PCT site and was able to gather no viable
information on permits.

Anyone who's dealt with the Forest Service or National Parks knows that
there are often different interpretations of the rules between the parks
or forest. There is often major difference within a given park between
rangers. I'm sure that this is in part to training, temporary summer
staffs and other priorities.

Many thru-hikers simply take the position the ignorance is the best
policy. After all what's a ranger to do if they meet me two days from
the nearest trailhead.

Now I'd like to see a consistent policy and I'd even post it on the
ALDHA-West website if someone could lay it out or point me to one. 

Ron 
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