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Ropeup 2009!


olyclimber

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4. Ivan, you may not put your tent up in front of the bathroom facilities doors. anyway there is a certain innate danger with doing so aside from it pisses off the campground host.

 

 

oh, i can assure you, there was no tent :)

Damn't Ivan, now I got coffee all over my desk (after coming out my nose laughing)! :lmao:
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Houston, we have a problem.

 

I just got a call from the Thousand Trails campground host, and he informed me that we are on his "not not allow to return" list. After talking with him, he reluctantly allowed us to return, but said we would be "watched like a hawk" and at the first sign of any trouble law enforcement will be called in. He has continued to hold on to the idea that we are an uncooperative problem group that is just out "to make trouble". This is in despite of the fact that I have always made myself available to resolve any issue and work with him to correct any unforeseen problems. I have even called him several times AFTER our event to go over how I can fix any issues that came up in the event that we had just had!

 

From last year we had the following issues:

 

1. Parking was a mess. If you look in this thread I have already pledged to fix this problem. Last year it was just not something we thought would be a problem, but now we know.

 

2. Someone (Ivan) was camping too close to the restrooms. I don't see this as a major issue, and we can deal with it this year...but last year the campground host was pretty irate about it.

 

3. There was the group of Southern guys who were not associated with us, but came over to our campsite. They were fighting and breaking beer bottles at their campsite later that night and in general gave the campground host a headache and he completely blamed it on us. I see this as being COMPLETELY unfair. We had nothing to do with them other than that they visited our campsite.

 

4. We "advertised" our gathering on the Internet. I tried to explain to him that our group is a Internet Forum! How else are we going to do it! It is what we are. So anyway, he told me advertising it on the internet was "against the rules". I asked him to produce "the rules", and he did not. Then he shifted tactics and said that we had more people the we planned on having, which was true...I think we planned on 35 or so and about 50 showed up, which is still within the amount allowed at that group site. He told me that at the campsite we have this year that if we can't give a specific number, then we have to get a variance from the Forest Service, which I am going to get.

 

I don't see an issue that would merit him banning us from the campgrounds, and I'm going to take it up with the Forest Service regarding his handling of the this whole deal. I don't know how far I'll be able to get with that...

 

So anyway, this is going to be a headache. I have pledged to be fully cooperative and to work with whatever "the rules" are...but it sure seems like he is just searching for a reason do disallow our event from the campgrounds he manages in the Icicle. This is very disappointing, especially since I have continually made myself available to resolve any issues, and sought to fix anything that was foreseeable. Even in this thread I've been laying the groundwork to make sure that the issue we had last year don't happen again.

 

If anyone knows of a good alternate venue for our event, let me know. We are not the only climbing group that has had issues with the Thousand Trails campground host up there, and I don't think they got a fair shake either, or at least the way the guy was going off on them as a "group that was just up there to make trouble and get drunk" seemed off the mark to me. From my standpoint, yes, we had issues...but we were willing to work to correct them and were very cooperative about it. On the otherhand, I was never told about the issues we had last year even though I made myself available as "point person" to fix anything that came up.

 

I just don't see us getting a fair shake with this guy. I hope I'm wrong, or that we can find somewhere else to have our gathering. Any Leavenworth locals have a suggestion?

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I don't have any doubt that our group could demonstrate responsible use of the campground. I just don't think we'll be given a chance to. The attitude of the host seems to be that we are already guilty.

I can imagine how fun it will be with that guy hovering over us waiting for something to call the cops on us for. If there was a legitimate reason for this, I could understand. But other than the fixable, unforeseeable issues I listed above, he is mainly bent on the problems created by a group that wasn't even with us. That and that we are mentioning this gathering on the Internet, which is against "the rules".

 

Anyway, unless I can find another venue, we are going ahead with the Bridge Creek group site.

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Not to knock the hosts age, but the older you get the less familiar you become with technology. I can usually tell by guessing a client's age whether to email or regular mail a document.

 

Last year it was a traditional rowdy crowd that caused the problem. The host though has heard bad stories about internet communication. He doesn't understand the media, so he focused on the bad internet stories and forgot about how other bad apples organized in the past with only letters, flyers, phone calls, or even suddenly while fuelled by :brew::brew::brew::brew:.

 

Yep, he'll be watching this get together like a hawk.

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Well there is nothing to be gained by insulting the guy. You can attribute things to malice or whatever, but I think the whole thing is a misunderstanding and a case of misplaced blame.

 

That said I'm going to try and work with him if we can't find an alternate venue. I'll do everything I can to make sure we are playing by "the rules" if I can get all of them out of him before the Ropeup.

 

One thing is for sure, we will need to follow the rules he apparently has for parking at the Bridge Creek Groupsite. Apparently those rules have changed quite a bit since anyone has used that site as of late.

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Brosefs, sistas...we are going ahead with the Bridge Creek campground for ropeup. I'm talking with the Forest Service and the campground host to work things out. I'll be posting details a little later about what we need to do in order to make this happen!

 

There will be specific rules around parking.

 

I have a digital projector, but I need a screen! Anyone have one we can use?

 

Also, firewood for the fire.

 

I'm looking for more people to show slides too.

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I know...I spent a good deal of time on the phone this morning with the guy from the Forest Service. He says that the campground host is responsible for the rules and he (the FS) are responsible for "enforcement".

 

I think we can protest all we want, but just like any other legal situation...breaking the laws just because you don't agree with them isn't going to work too well.

 

Anyway, the Forest Service guy says he does want groups like ours to be able to use the resource and said he will work with me and the campground host to make things work out.

 

Anyway, enough of this talk! Ropeup is weekend after this upcoming one! Looking forward to it!

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Jake,

The guy you spoke with is a fair individual and should be a good guy to deal with.

Also, the group sites are really the only spots I have found close to town and climbing that will accomidate that many folks. I know of someone with a farm but it is 10 miles out of town and then you are dealing with porta potties, etc.

I would be happy to chat with the campground host prior to the event if needed. Not sure if I this would help in any way but the offer is out there.

Teresa

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I think there is an old church camp site (or something like that) across the Creek and upstream of the Bridge Creek bridge that may be available as a group site but I don't know much about it. Perhaps because it is not a campground it is subject to different rules. As I understand it, this is the turn-off immediately across the bridge that is normally gated on the right - not the dirt baggers campsite up the hill a little way and left.

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