silversummit - Jun 1, 2011 11:39 am - Voted 10/10
Have you ever rafted Arthur?No offense intended....
It is another way to see the "wild, remote backcountry" and most people can't do this on their own, especially on water for one or more days at a time.
Also, those permits to raft on a river can cost the companies thousands of dollars even by lottery and to earn a profit they try to fill what their permits allow.
It may help also to think of rafters as 'hikers' who may prefer not to hike especially in arid climates so to speak. They may or may not like thrills and choose to go initially for the thrills or see the area but the guides pull them into the whole wilderness experience even on a day trip by helping them appreciate the plants, wildlife and requirements for travel.
And there is something very special about gliding silently along a river past cliffs and mountains, past Indian drawings or basalt columns and camping on a sandy riverbank.
I've met people who started in rafting for fun and then become hikers and campers etc. based on that introduction to the out-of-doors. (Didn't mean to write a book but you hit upon one of favorite things...)
Arthur Digbee - Jun 1, 2011 12:00 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Have you ever rafted Arthur?I rafted the Kern long ago, but that trip had a whitewater focus. I can understand the appeal in a small group, and I'd happily join a group of friends.
But I'd find the large group inimical to the wilderness experience. (I understand the financial pressures for the guides though.)
On the other side of the park in Jones Hole we ended up seeing a lot of a large group stopping there for the night (Maybe 15-20 people?). Many hiked up two miles to some great rock art, and we saw them there too. Just too many people for me, and they "filled" the valley, affecting others' experiences. Had I realized, I would have been somewhere else in the park.
But I'd much rather have people rafting than any of the motorized things people do. And if it's a gateway drug to the outdoors, all the better.
silversummit - Jun 1, 2011 1:07 pm - Voted 10/10
Re: Have you ever rafted Arthur?I can see why you would prefer to avoid them if you could and I feel the same in general when I backpack. I guess my two 5 day trips have indelibly affected me; both were in non-hiking terrain.
I've had some bad weekend backpacking trips over the years; can't avoid them here in the east all due to locals 'tripping by' which had I known I would have gladly driven another two hours further to avoid!
Cheers, Kathy
Arthur Digbee - Jun 1, 2011 2:48 pm - Hasn't voted
.I backpack enough in Kentucky and Tennessee to have hit locals I'd rather not have hit. Hard to avoid good ol' boys goin' into the woods to empty some beers on a Friday night.
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