[pct-l] Tuolumne Overrun by Thrus

[Scott Williams]

I think Stephen is correct.  Yosemite has been scaling down all the
commercial enterprises for years now in the Valley, Tuolumne and throughout
the park to try to bring this iconic miracle of mountains back to its
former state.  We were just at Tuolumne Mdws Lodge a few weeks ago and
learned that some of the tent cabins will indeed be gone by next year.
Also, and most crucially for many hikers who rely on the park busses, the
Yosemite "bubble" shuttles to Tuolumne from the Valley will be phased out
at the end of this season.  I learned this from several of the bus drivers
who have been informed that this service is about to end short of a
congressional mandate to keep them running.  Might be time to write a
letter to your congress person if this service matters to you.

As for the tables at the Tuolumne store when we were there, those across
the drive from the store entrance were thoroughly covered with certified
Hiker Trash.  Looked like good folks all around, and most of them were
indeed stuffing burgers into their faces as they went through their boxes.
I didn't notice any undue amounts of trash, and it didn't look any more
crowded than it had been in 2010, when I was one of them.  There were quite
a number of tables to the right of the store all being used by families
with kids and others clearly not Trail Trash, (they were all so clean) and
all a good distance from the aroma of the thru hiker bunch.  Looked like
the two groups were doing fine with the number of tables set out.  Didn't
seem to be a problem in the least.

As for the impact of the larger numbers of Thru Hikers on the PCT itself in
the High Sierra, I had just finished a good section of the JMT and didn't
notice excess trash or crowds at any points.  The many thru hikers we met
out there were as good a bunch of hikers as I've encountered in years
past.  I'm sure there are some jerks, but we didn't meet any who would
obviously fit into that category.

A few hundred more thru hikers per year is small fry compared to the
thousands of weekend backpackers and day hikers who all summer long use
much of the PCT in the High Sierra.  Most of the thru hikers come through
pretty early in the season, a time not known for large crowds, and often we
are the only people up there at those times.  Given the rigors of the trail
and the usual early season transit of the Sierra required of a thru hike,
I'd be surprised to see the numbers get much above what we've got now in
this post season "Wild" bubble.

Shroomer

On Mon, Jul 20, 2015 at 6:29 AM, James Vesely <JVesely at sstinternational.com>
wrote:

> I just got back from hiking from Horseshoe meadows to Tuolumne and what
> the picture does not show is that on the side of the post office and
> restaurant  a set of at least 5 more tables and I did not see any hikers
> using those tables.
>
> I did not see any trash at the tables pictured and all the hikers cleaned
> up after themselves.
>
> I have been camping at Tuolumne for over 40 years and it has and will
> always be a hiker intersection and most non hikers customers are mostly
> curious about hikers and the interaction is very friendly.
>
> Jim
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Pct-L [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net] On Behalf Of Richard
> Brinkman
> Sent: Friday, July 17, 2015 5:03 PM
> To: Bob Bankhead; PCT List Forum
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Tuolumne Overrun by Thrus
>
>
>
> My experience was not PCT hikers taking over at all, but the 'hikers' and
> others that were the true nightmare.  Best, Roadwalker mile 1,500
>
>
>
> Sent on my Samsung Galaxy S® 5
>
> -------- Original message --------
> From: Bob Bankhead <wandering_bob at comcast.net>
> Date: 07/17/2015  1:47 PM  (GMT-08:00)
> To: PCT List Forum <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Tuolumne Overrun by Thrus
>
> Correct. The 1st photo does not show trash. Rather, it illustrates how
> hikers take over the picnic tables. That's only fair; those tables are
> there for the customers of the store and the burger shack. Haven't met a
> hiker there yet who didn't stop at one or both. The 2nd illustrates the
> number of hikers currently in the store. Packs aren't allowed inside, and
> there is no known criticism of them being neatly propped against the
> outside walls. This is as it should be.
>
>
> without express permission.
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