Quote Originally Posted by rickb View Post
One thing interesting about such observations regarding thru hikers is that the foundation is not on protecting the natural ecosystem of Katahdin, but rather an arbitrary aesthetic.

Nobody is suggesting that thru hikers are adversely disrupting the Bicknell Thrush, or damaging the rare Potantilla plant.

In fact, my guess is that the park managers fully realize that the developed campgrounds at ponds around the park have an impact on wildlife that eclipses that of thru hikers by an order of magnitude.

This is not to minimize the importance of protecting a visual aesthetic at Baxter peak-- but just put it in context.

Another thing to put in context is how the park has accommodated changes in demand in the past-- the bunkhouses built in Roari Brook being just one example-- or the drive-in car campgrounds as another.

Bottom line is that a narrative is being created that thru hikers are the problem, and that the mountain is in jeopardy because of them. And that is just not right-- not even close.

Without minimizing the importance of operational "middle management" issues regarding thru hiker impact, behavior and ways to improve things, the larger narrative should not be accepted without question. At least not at the "executive level" and not in public discourse either.


In another thread, egilbe posts an image that appears to show a great number of people treading, sitting and lying on alpine vegetation. It does not have sufficient resolution for me to see whether cinquefoil is among the plants being damaged. If, as is claimed, A-T users are camping unlawfully away from established sites, it would not astonish me that they should disturb Bicknell's Thrush nest sites, except for the bird's preference for dense balsam-and-spruce thickets that offer few good sites to camp. Protection of Bicknell's Thrush is the ostensible reason that New York State bans camping above 3500 feet elevation from March to December. My understanding is that acid rain, the spruce budworm, and the retreat of the subalpine forest in the face of climate change are far greater threats than human incursion. In any case, I account myself fortunate to have heard its weird fluting on the very mountain where Eugene Bicknell discovered it.

The narrative in question is being advanced by the appointed representatives of the landowners. Those challenging it are would-be interlopers, at best tolerated trespassers, surely no longer welcome guests. Who may be presumed to have better information about the needs of the land? Who may be presumed to be better able to safeguard its best interests? Those entrusted with its care by the people of Maine, its owners, or those who simply are arguing for the unearned privilege of waltzing in unnanounced and doing more or less as they please?

The story may be a false one, but the burden of proof on those who would challenge it is surely very heavy.