[Cdt-l] A Grand Proposal

[Helen]

That actually is a grand idea.  A very organic approach.  The wiki idea dovetails nicely with the 'adopt a CDT section' idea.  

Helen

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 17, 2012, at 10:34 PM, "lynne whelden" <lwgear at juno.com> wrote:

> Now that the dust has settled on the collapsed house that CDTA built, this is as good a time as any to float a proposal of a replacement group (in the spirit of Edward Abbey's "Monkey Wrench Gang" or Ken Keasey's "Merry Pranksters"). I've kicked this idea around for many years, discussed it in my CDT documentary "Overexposed" and so I figure it's time to pass it by this forum.
> It's really very simple. Sign up as many CDT hikers as possible, the more the better. Set a minimum number of, say, 50. Give each one a 50 mile stretch of trail they'd be "responsible" for. (If there's 100 that step forth, the mileage is down to 25 miles.)
> The idea being...and here's where the proverbial crap hits the fan...the trail needs to be marked! With surveyor tape. It's simple and light to carry. Some sort of color-coded system could be adopted where alternative routes would have a different color from the official route or the Wolf route.
> Once the trail is marked, I believe a footpath would naturally follow. This wouldn't require any trail construction but it would require some basic maintenance with handsaws perhaps. 
> Visiting one's section once every couple of years would be all that's needed. There are some sections that don't need much work but a lot of them do. Hikers could have their choice.
> Admittedly, this is a patchwork solution but one that could very well take off! When I passed this idea by the Wards (several Executive Directors ago) it was kicked around briefly but then dismissed out of concern that hikers might blaze paths not corresponding to the official route. As if that hasn't happened already. Well, clearly it wasn't going to happen under the CDTA's auspices.
> But we have this window of opportunity now. 
> Of course there will always be the "old boy network" that insists the trail remain forever wild, a corridor that shadows the Divide without any real paths to guide hikers along the way. For them surveyor's tape would be an insult and they'd tear it down. 
> For the rest of us who prefer a trail experience over bushwacking, imagine the relief of seeing some tape guiding us through the forest fire mess called Wangontongue Mountain, for example. 
> One more idea...how about a wikipedia-type trail guide that's updated regularly according to hiker reports or caretaker observations? So well-updated, in fact, hikers would want to consult it while their hike's in progress. Such pages could be printed out and used as guidebooks or data books.
> Well, there you have it. I'm just an idea person. I throw it out there for your perusal. Someone with organizational skills would have to run with it, if deemed worthy. It could actually be fun! 
> Dreaming of what could be...
> lynne whelden
> 
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