NY Times piece on Wilderness Areas

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I agree with his point. Since the Pemi bridge went down, I will no longer give money to any organization that supports wilderness designations.
 
You can read an opposing perspective at Trekking the tough Kekekabic Trail.

The truth is that the Kek has always been known as the only true wilderness backpacking challenge available in Minnesota. And a big part of that challenge has almost always been finding your own way.

And yes, been there, done that. Well, actually beaten back twice in winter by the Kek. And if someone had made it easier, it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun to try. You want signs? Go hike the Superior Hiking Trail.
 
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It gives me hope for humanity that we can occasionally choose to place parts of the biosphere above current perceived human needs and designs. If I want 'trammeled' I can always go to the buffer strip behind my local Home Depot. There's trees there too and not a bad looking little steam..
 
I do think the agencies should allow the same signage requirements for wilderness trails as non-wilderness parks/forests. It will help with the Search and Rescue budget :eek:
 
They should just create an electronic security system at the start of the more popular and potentially dangerous wilderness trails. This system would have something that you hold with your hands. When you hold that thing (whatever it is), the system speaks a list of relevant warnings about the trail system ahead of you. The fence won't open until you listen to ALL warnings.

Am I kidding? Not sure....some people seriously need that level of warning. Signs will never be enough.
 
Read a little of the article about the Kek. Sounds tough! But then, it's easy to find a challenge like that anywhere. All you have to do is GO OFF TRAIL. They could pave the Kek, and it would still be just as tough if you walked parallel to it, 100' away. I don't like the idea of knocking down bridges, or leaving blowdown on the trail, just so folks can imagine that they're following in the footsteps of our exporer forebears. You want stuff to trip over? Bushwhack. I do, much of the time, and I enjoy it. But when I want to use a trail, I like to see the trail kept up (and I do my share), not full of stuff someone else wants to trip over.
 
Yes, limited resources is the case everywhere these days. Certainly that's true here in the Adirondacks.
 
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