[pct-l] Water Cache at Scissors Xing

[Brick Robbins]

On Thu, Apr 24, 2014 at 3:53 PM,  <kevin at kegphoto.com> wrote:
> According to an email on this list earlier today, over 80,000 hours were
> put into maintaining the trail last year.  Surely carrying one or two
> empty cans won't slow anyone down so dramatically that it ruins their
> hike.

First off, anyone who doesn't know the area well (I live a few hours
drive from there) needs to understand what Scissors Crossing is. It is
a junction on heavily used highway. This is what it looks like:

http://www.lkjh.org/bike/california/san_diego/anza_borrego/f1846.jpg

Anyone who has hiked up the San Felipe Ridge from Scissors Crossing to
Barrel Springs 24 miles and up 2000ft on the water-less trail in the
blazing desert sun would probably answer this question "yes carrying
out other people's trash for 32 miles would dramatically impact my
hike."

With this much impact from civilization, with trash scattered along
the highway thrown from vehicles, it is really hard to envision a LNT
ethic for the area.

This doesn't mean that hikers should leave trash in the area, just
that it is regularly trashed by non trail users, and IMHO it is a
little bit much to expect thru hikers to carry out stuff left by cars
and groups of non hikers partying in the area.

Once again, I find it really difficult to believe, being really
familiar with this area, that even 50 thru hikers a day passing
through are having much of an impact on Scissors Crossing, compared to
the other intensive vehicular use the area gets.