[pct-l] Forest Service intelligence test (failure)
David Plotnikoff
david at emeraldlake.com
Mon Jun 8 16:18:50 CDT 2009
Hello from a longtime list lurker.
For my final section this year, I'll be doing Walker Pass through
Tuolumne Meadows. Over the years I've found a wide, wide range of
competence among the front-line Forest Service staffers who interface
with the public at front counters. From absolute aces with deep
institutional knowledge of their ranger district and long memories to
absolute clueless folks who probably have a hard time tying their own
shoes.
Consider today's phone calls to the Kernville and Lake Isabella
ranger district offices of the Sequoia National Forest.
"Hi, I'm calling to follow up on a wilderness permit application I
mailed a month ago. I never got anything back. I'm starting at Walker
Pass and heading through on the PCT to Tuolumne Meadows, in Yosemite."
"You don't need a wilderness permit for that. Only for the Golden
Trout Wilderness. That's all we write. All the other wilderness areas
don't need a permit."
"You're sure about that? But I'm going through northbound all the way
through Kings Canyon NP and Yosemite NP and the regulations say the
wilderness permit is issued by the jurisdiction where the trip
initiates."
long pause.
"You don't need a permit for anything other than Golden Trout. Just
Golden Trout. I don't to anything other than that."
"Thanks. Thanks very much. That's what I needed to know."
Got essentially the same answer at both offices.
So be forewarned: If you're looking for a section hike wilderness
permit, you may need to draw these folks a picture.
I would have just gone through Inyo NF to be written from Cottonwood
through to Tuolumne, but they demand that you show up in person. They
won't mail permits. And Lone Pine is a bit off my beaten path.
These folks have got me stumped. I hope the PCTA liaison for Sequoia
knows this is the level of knowledge that the people actually charged
with issuing wilderness permits have. I would have given them the
benefit of the doubt if it was just one impaired desk jockey, but I
got the same response at both offices. Which leads me to wonder if
it's institutional, rather than individual.
DP
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