Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 10:25 pm
If the following were true: A place is far far away. Horses can't do it, so you gotta walk. There is cold, swift water that needs fording. Off trail route finding. Some scrambling with a pack on. Basically, some suffering and work needs to happen in order to reach your awesome spot.
My ? is: Does a place like that attract as one poster stated "fire making, trash leaving, shampoo-in-the-lake crowd"? Those kinds of places aren't off limits to those trashing the backcountry & wilderness, but you'd think there's far less of those types way out in the back of yonder.??
It's very true that all it takes it one person to mess it up. Sounds like people find evidence of impact in even some of the most remote spots. One of my first Sierra trips involved hiking into a small chain of lakes fairly near the road. The place obviously got a lot of use. I found the perfect sleeping spot (away from the water and out of site), putting my stuff down and stretching out I only then noticed the pile of human crap and toilet paper with a rock on top of it. Then I noticed lots of little and big piles of rocks in the area...what a wake up call.
My ? is: Does a place like that attract as one poster stated "fire making, trash leaving, shampoo-in-the-lake crowd"? Those kinds of places aren't off limits to those trashing the backcountry & wilderness, but you'd think there's far less of those types way out in the back of yonder.??
It's very true that all it takes it one person to mess it up. Sounds like people find evidence of impact in even some of the most remote spots. One of my first Sierra trips involved hiking into a small chain of lakes fairly near the road. The place obviously got a lot of use. I found the perfect sleeping spot (away from the water and out of site), putting my stuff down and stretching out I only then noticed the pile of human crap and toilet paper with a rock on top of it. Then I noticed lots of little and big piles of rocks in the area...what a wake up call.