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Re: [RC] wilderness - heidiTrail maintence in wilderness is a MONEY issue. Given the funds wilderness trails can be maintained by USFS trail crews using allowed equipment. Starved of funds as they have been by Congress in the last 15 years trails will continue to disappear. We are members of BCH and we have done a lot of trail maintainence over the years. However, volunteers can't and shouldn't be expected to do it all. In the late 1960's when we started going into the wilderness on a regular basis trails were much better maintained than they are now. This past October a severe storm here in Washington's Cascades wiped out many trails. We may never get them repaired. It's a money issue first and foremost. Two comments here. 1) If the regulations weren't so tight, it would be more economically feasible to maintain the trails. If the public could get INTO the areas by doing their own maintenance, there would be no NEED for subsidy to maintain them. Hunters, ride managers, recreational users--all are willing to clear trail to get into their areas, but if they are regulated out of those areas, then they are not going to go do that. It is the overregulation that has made maintenance so outrageously costly! 2) As Bob already stated, in a wilderness area, even volunteer trail maintenance by antiquated and difficult methods is not acceptable, if the trail is not a part of the agency's plan. Heidi ============================================================ There are 2 ways to win at this sport. You take a horse and race him for a short time and then find a new horse or you can take one horse , do the homework and spend many miles and years enjoying that horse. ~ Paddi Sprecher ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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