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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;color:navy'>Someday there is going to be an amendment to the Wilderness
Act that could be wide enough to drive a Mack Truck through. Someone is
going to sue for access to wilderness areas using some form of wheeled vehicle
because of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Some judge will rule in
that plaintiff’s favor, and voila, motorized wheel chairs will be
permitted. Of course they will have to be modified to travel further than
a battery will allow and to traverse rough terrain (wheelchair mounted on a
Jeep chassis, capable of the Rubicon Trail).<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;color:navy'>Rubbish? Tell that to various places that now have to
allow for more than the seeing-eye dog – they have to accommodate companion
animals some doctor has prescribed to some emotional/mental need of that animal’s
human companion.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;color:navy'>For the record, I am not advocating unregulated access by
Humvee’s or bicycles. I just think that sometimes if we in the
hiking community are seen as being too strident and unyielding we might find
ourselves being run over by those more vocal and with more access ($$$) with
law makers. And at the pace I hike, I’ll probably be the first
speed bump.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:PersonName w:st="on"><font size=3 color=black
face="Arial Rounded MT Bold"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Rounded MT Bold"'>Lars
Nilsson</span></font></st1:PersonName><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>TrailSnail</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 color=black face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:windowtext;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font
size=2 color=black face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;
color:windowtext'> Greg Kesselring [mailto:gkesselr@whidbey.com] <br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Wednesday, October 17, 2007
11:46 AM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> <st1:PersonName w:st="on">Lars
Nilsson</st1:PersonName><br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Cc:</span></b> pct-l@backcountry.net<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> Re: [pct-l] Mt. Bikes on
the trail</span></font><font color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-family:"Times New Roman";color:windowtext'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Unless you're able to get Congress to rewrite the Wilderness Act, there
will be no motorized vehicles inside Wilderness boundaries. And the way
the land managers have interpreted the Wilderness Act, that also means no trail
bikes. <br>
<br>
I am a firm believer in, and supporter of, wilderness as defined by the
act. I believe we need to have some lands set aside where we have no
machines. The amount of land that's preserved in this way is a tiny
fraction of the total land that is this country. If you want to see these
lands, you're free to walk in like everyone else. If you want to drive
everywhere, all National Parks are driveable, most National Forest Land and BLM
land is driveable, State Park lands are driveable. The vast amount of
land that you can see from a car or bicycle or motorcycle or trail bike far
exceeds the amount of land that you have to walk to be able to see and enjoy.<br>
<br>
Wilderness Areas are the exception rather than the rule. There's very
little Wilderness left out there. I hope and pray that we will always
have the good sense to keep these lands wild, and that means free from
machines. You want to see what's in there, you can walk in like the rest
of us. You don't want to walk, then you have 99.99 percent of the
country open to your vehicle of choice.<br>
<br>
Greg<br>
<br>
==================================================<br>
<br>
<st1:PersonName w:st="on">Lars Nilsson</st1:PersonName> wrote: <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face="Courier New"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'><u1:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"><u1:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></u1:SmartTagType></u1:SmartTagType>“There's
an assault brewing on the parks here. The ORV and mountain bike crowd are
trying to get the Mill Creek Addition to Del Norte Coast Redwoods SP opened to them.
Do any of you have pictures of trail damage caused by ORVs and mt. bikes,
particularly in far northern <st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State> and
southern <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State>
-- PCT or trails west.”<u1:p></u1:p></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face="Courier New"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'>I hike, but my sons
bike. They are courteous and stay mainly on fire roads but do enjoy single
track riding as well. They resent the outright banning of bikes on
certain trails. There are “bad apples” in all groups.
There are wannabee ultralight backpackers who allow their alcohol stoves to
blow over in wind and start fires, causing far more damage than fat
tires. There are hikers who insist they are “stealthy” enough
that bears will never find their food and so they don’t need those pesky,
heavy bear cans. Too few of us truly practice “leave NO trace;”
do we ban backpackers or demand personal responsibility and concern/respect for
the back country from all who enter?<u1:p></u1:p></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face="Courier New"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'>I am not suggesting that we
pave the trails or put up neon signs, but there should be some compromise that
allows more people to enjoy the land in their own way. Woody Guthrie sang
“this land was made for you and me”. As hikers we recognize
HYOH to mean that for some the fastest wins as does the last one to <st1:country-region u2:st="on"><st1:place u2:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region></st1:place></st1:country-region>
(assuming Campo is your trailhead). </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'><u1:p> </u1:p></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:PersonName w:st="on"><font size=3 color=black
face="Arial Rounded MT Bold"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Rounded MT Bold"'>Lars
Nilsson</span></font></st1:PersonName><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>TrailSnail</span></font><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><u1:p> </u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<pre wrap=""><font size=2 color=black face="Courier New"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></pre><pre
style='text-align:center'><font size=2 color=black face="Courier New"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt'>
<hr size=4 width="90%" align=center>
</span></font></pre><pre><font size=2 color=black face="Courier New"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></pre><pre><font
size=2 color=black face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>_______________________________________________<o:p></o:p></span></font></pre><pre><font
size=2 color=black face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>Pct-l mailing list<o:p></o:p></span></font></pre><pre><font
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