Destruction on Mt. Cheam

[Ponzini]

On Sunday June 20, my girlfriend and I went up to Mt. Cheam for a pleasent afternoon hike. We drove to the usual parking lot, and started walking up the last stretch of road to the meadows. Just as we were leaving the truck, about 5 dirtbikes and 5 ATVs drove through the blockade and headed up the road. OK, I thought, they'd drive up to the final landing for a better view. As we reached the end of the road, they were nowhere to be seen........

 

When we reached the road end, we found that they'd driven into the meadows and were in the process of tearing up the place. Some were trying to ride up the trail itself, some were doing donuts in the meadow, and some were doing laps of Spoon Lake. The worst was a group of ATV'ers riding up and down the creekbed, creating huge mudholes and delighting in spinning the wheels and flinging mud, plants and heather ten feet in the air. It was a horrible scene of destruction, and the scene was more like Mad Max than a peaceful alpine meadow.

 

I'm pretty open minded, but this was over the top and made me quite mad. The only thing that stopped me from personally telling each one of them to fuck off was that they saw which truck was mine and would likely destroy it on their return. After about 20 minutes, they surveyed the scene and seemed satisfied with the destruction caused, so they headed for home.

 

Anyone else every see anything like this?

 

As we were hiking down, we noticed a young couple decked our in dirt bike gear hiking to the summit. They gave a cheery greeting, and I gave them a curt hello. I wondered how high they had ridden their bikes and how much of the countryside they had torn up. But when we reached the truck, their bikes were leaning up against the barrier in the parking lot, just where they should be. I guess not all dirt bikers are thoughtless assholes........

[jordop]

Jesus. Please post on bivouac.com. You may want to email this to the FMCBC or maybe even Ministy of Forests to alert them that a new blockade needs to be built. Maybe stress that the ATVs were scaring away all the rich tourists

[Dru]

MoF has nothing to do with it anymore. FVRD is responsible for road and trail.

 

Maybe write a letter to the Chilliwack Times and Chilliwack Progres (local newspapers) as well although assuming these people can read is a stretch.

[Dru]

Another good idea is to take their pictures with your digital camera, then forward the pictures to the Conservation Officer service.

[Ponzini]

No dice - forgot the camera!! Mabye we should set up a sting....

[peas]

I was at Cheam last weekend and there were a number of dirt bikers around. We came to the meadow first and there were signs of past off roading activity in the meadow, but nothing on the scale that you describe, and nothing all that fresh. We waited around the meadow to see what they were up to, but they just seemed to want to look at the view, then turned around and went home. Maybe they were conscious that the tree hugger hikers would defend their meadow.

 

It's too bad to see that some people are willing to destroy such beautiful places.

[Dru]

http://www.billyscape.com/TimsTrips/cheam/spoon/spoon.htm

 

Photos of the damage.

[Bill_Simpkins]

This really discouraged me, seeing that place ripped up like that.

We all see stuff that makes us think if people do these kinds of things out of stupidity or selfishness. It's hard to tell.