Originally Posted by
Cosmo
We are seeing what happens when a resource is stretched beyond its capacity.
Some weeks at the Cabin, there is simply not room for everyone to have the experience they expect or desire. Too many visitors (of all kinds) are attracted to this special place, and there simply is not room to accommodate everyone.
Caretakers are put in a position where they need to allocate resources to some, but not to others. There are 16 bunks, there’s a finite square footage of griddle space, and one can only spend so much time washing dishes and bringing spring water across the pond for thirsty hikers.
Were the facilities available only on a first come, first served basis (like other AT shelters and campsites), do you think on a weekend night there would be any bunk space for long distance hikers? More than likely, bunks would be filled by 2pm, mostly by weekenders, groups, or other hikers who can adjust their schedules to arrive early in the day.
So, a priority of some sort has to be developed. Should the Cabin accept reservations? Are there enough volunteer resources to support that system? Should we just turn the whole thing over to the AMC so they can develop another revenue stream? Should thru hikers have some sort of registration system to “prove” they actually started at Springer (or Harpers Ferry, or Maine)? It’s a real problem, primarily due to the ever increasing number of Trail visitors loading a resource that has no means to keep up.
Yes, there are Caretakers who’s life skills and personalities can adapt well to gracefully allocating finite resources in a situation where who has preference is essentially impossible to determine (and, should the facility ONLY be open to long distance hikers—is that fair?). There are also Caretakers who have difficulty communicating respectfully in stressful situations. Unfortunately, the stressful nature of “high season” is driving those volunteers who do not thrive on chaos away (another resource being exceeded by the need to provide for an ever increasing number of visitors).
So where does this end? Does an increasing visitor dissatisfaction level result in more hikers opting to pass the Cabin by and rebalancing the demand on the resource? Do we develop more draconian rules and further limit a Caretaker’s flexibility? Should we just turn away all but the first 16 hikers? Maybe we just close the Cabin during July because we can’t accommodate the numbers of visitors.
Sorry to be painting such a gloomy picture—but the realities can be pretty daunting. We’ll continue to look for and train volunteer Caretakers, attempt to clarify ways to prioritize visitors, and continue to do our best to keep this resource available for all visitors.
Cosmo