Removal of suspension bridge in Pemi Wilderness

RoySwkr said:

If only that were true :-(

The problem (which I noted in my letter to the FS) is that so much of the trail base in the NF is now Wilderness so we are losing the "trails for every skill level" in favor of only unblazed trails with no amenities. Where else in the NF can one find an easy near-level 11-mile loop leading far from the road? I would be more inclined to accept this view if shelters, bridges, trails etc. removed from Wilderness were replaced elsewhere.

Click to expand...

So unblazed, no bridge and they still want people to pay for thier own rescue? What is going on up there in NH? Before you know it, the entire area will be logged and mined, gas n oil drilling the heck of it. Who needs trails n bridges anyway?

paul ron said:

So unblazed, no bridge and they still want people to pay for thier own rescue?

Click to expand...

Just to be clear, the WMNF is in charge of the trails. The State of NH (Fish and Game) is responsible for rescue. One can't control what the other one does.

How would Hobbits build a bridge so it wouldn't impact the enviroment or Wood Elfs for that matter?

Little Rickie said:

How would Hobbits build a bridge so it wouldn't impact the enviroment or Wood Elfs for that matter?

Click to expand...

It's too embarrassing knowing how to answer that question.

I feel like the only acceptable answer is to return to the hearings preceding the enactment and adhere to the spirit of the original document. What level of amenity is provided by the original/currently-in-place Wilderness plan for this tract?

If there is any wiggle room for the preservation of the bridge, then it seems it's a popularity poll that should win the day, and everyone should have e-mailed the secret word to a Federale last Friday.

I have really appreciated the comments by those who understand both the workings of the legal process and the history of the multiple uses. Thanks.

Maybe they should remove the Kancamangus highway as well? What's one suspension bridge? If you really want to bring back wilderness values and esthetics let's make it really hard for folks to get in there......

Hmm..... why stop there? Lets close I-93 through Franconia Notch, let only wagons, horses, bikes and foot traffic through Franconia Notch and The Kanc!

Maybe then we might have something approaching wilderness once the wolves and mountain lions come back, lol.

So lets raise the cost of our parking passes and build more toilets and rest areas on the Kanc, and remove structures within the Forest. A drive through National Forest. Lets remove some of the rest areas and picnic tables on the Kanc those cost money to maintain over the years as well.

funkyfreddy said:

Maybe they should remove the Kancamangus highway as well?

Click to expand...

The height-of-land area on the Kanc meets the definition of a roadless area, but both the FS and Sierra Club are too wise to touch that one

Roy Schweicker's op-ed piece in the 5/23 Concord Monitor on the danger of wilderness policies, including the proposed removal of the suspension bridge:

http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090523/OPINION/905230301/1028/OPINION02

For me, the crux of the argument is that both wilderness areas, Wild River and the Pemi are relatively flat and easily accessible, attracting novice hikers and families, and that no equivalent non-wilderness alternatives exist: "unfortunately many of the formerly family-friendly trails in the White Mountains are now in wilderness, and replacements haven't been built elsewhere." There have probably been more "family rescues" in Franconia Notch and Mt Washington than in the Pemi and Wild River, but if the Pemi loses bridges and markers, that well may change.

Waumbek said:

Roy Schweicker's op-ed piece in the 5/23 Concord Monitor on the danger of wilderness policies, including the proposed removal of the suspension bridge:

http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090523/OPINION/905230301/1028/OPINION02

Click to expand...

Thank you for posting that. Good job, Roy!

As we were crossing the Pemi suspension bridge yesterday at Lincoln Woods we noticed a couple of WMNF signs. Seemed a little ironic considering they want to take down the two nearby bridges.

J&J said:

As we were crossing the Pemi suspension bridge yesterday at Lincoln Woods we noticed a couple of WMNF signs. Seemed a little ironic considering they want to take down the two nearby bridges.

Click to expand...

Priceless. Left hand needs to meet and greet the right hand.

Great job, RoySwkr! Well written, cogent, assertive piece!

Way to speak your mind..., so happens I agree, too.

Well Done

Excellent OP, Roy.

The height-of-land area on the Kanc meets the definition of a roadless area, but both the FS and Sierra Club are too wise to touch that one

Click to expand...

As are, apparently, the Appalachian Money Collectors.

(But, oh, think how sporting the Hancocks would be...!!!! Everyone read Miriam Underhill's Give Me the Hills?)

So riddle me this, Batman.

They have the money to take down the bridge, but yet even with all that parking pass money, those fancy bathrooms at Lincoln Woods were both out-of-order on Memorial Day? How?

I was for keeping the bridge, but now am convinced it must go. It injured my hiking companion on Monday, and so it is obviously unsafe. (ok, so it was only a splinter, but it was a big splinter)

SteveHiker said:

I was for keeping the bridge, but now am convinced it must go. It injured my hiking companion on Monday, and so it is obviously unsafe. (ok, so it was only a splinter, but it was a big splinter)

Click to expand...

sarcasm is not permitted in Congressionally-designated Wilderness areas -- please speak literally until you return to the nearest boundary....

This has probably already been posted elsewhere on this Forum, but I can’t seem to find it.
So, just in case it hasn’t been posted, you might want to note that this Friday (June 12), there will be a public meeting in Lincoln about the Pemi bridge.

Scoping Comment Period Extended, Public Meeting announced (Click link below).

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/whi...sments/pemi_wilderness_bridge/scoping_ext.pdf

1HappyHiker said:

This has probably already been posted elsewhere on this Forum, but I can’t seem to find it... this Friday (June 12), there will be a public meeting in Lincoln about the Pemi bridge.

Click to expand...

http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=30453

Thanks . . . I thought it must have been posted . . . just didn't look hard enough.
It's your thread, and so I'll be happy to delete my posting if you wish, but on the other hand, maybe a reminder wouldn't hurt??

Waumbek said:

Roy Schweicker's op-ed piece in the 5/23 Concord Monitor on the danger of wilderness policies, including the proposed removal of the suspension bridge:

http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090523/OPINION/905230301/1028/OPINION02

Click to expand...

Amen.

Good essay, excellent points, Roy.

G.