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Mt Rainier Fee to increase from $15 to $25 in 2015


jon

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Point number two, simply not true. (And you know it.) We were there a couple weeks later and the USFS ranger who was hanging out on site was talking about it. Apparently that video was quite the topic back in Darrington. BTW, we walked.

 

The road was clearly posted No Motor Vehicles at the time you guys busted through.

 

In any event, the point here is the hypocrisy. "Access for we; let those fat commoners walk."

 

 

 

[video:youtube]fD2PER1DGKA

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Thanks for bringing back memories of such a great trip with such good friends. Formidable, Le Conte, Sentinel, Dome, Sinister, Hanging Gardens, Image Lake. In perfect weather.

 

We're heading up to Green Mountain Lookout tomorrow, in fact.

 

Not the outcome you were shooting for, I'd wager, but that's our fickle universe, doing its thing.

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Ha, I had forgotten all about that little adventure. Great memories indeed!! Sadly FW, you are wrong, and there was no posting whatsoever about "no vehicle access." Did they post something in the several weeks between when I was there and you were? Sounds likely they did. Was it in response to to what I did? Possibly, and I could care less either way. No harm, no foul.

 

Since you brought it up...when I was there, there was only a jersey barrier across the old road bed itself, with a small "road" going around the side, which looked to be there to facilitate repairs further up the road. There was no sign saying not to go around whatsoever. Sorry, but I'm not dumb enough to blatantly ignore a sign posted by a federal agency and risk a major fisting by the man. I'll also add that I was not the only car back there when I parked.

 

Your recollection on the ciggy butts is wrong too, unfortunately. Ivan may be a miscreant in other ways, but I can vouch for him not littering. He was carrying a ziploc bag of butts, growing constantly larger and smellier throughout the trip.

 

In any event, I'm not sure how access issues in one national park got dragged to another national park, and then on to a road on FS land. FWIW, I supported the re-opening of the Suiattle River road. A long-since abandoned section of the Stehikin road in the middle of NCNP is an entirely different matter. As for the original topic, MRNP, I could care less, I never go there. :P

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That's nice...a picture of the situation several weeks later. :-)

 

You may think me a dick, but as I said, drawing the ire of a federal agency ain't my idea of fun. Disregard their sign and then leave a car (licensed under my name) back there for several days? Nah, not something that would pass my risk/reward evaluation. And as I said, I wasn't the only one. It seems pretty implausible multiple people would take that risk.

 

Anyway, it's Friday night and the ladyfriend is soon arriving. I look forward to resuming this incredibly useful conversation next week! :brew:

 

 

 

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Point number two, simply not true. (And you know it.) We were there a couple weeks later and the USFS ranger who was hanging out on site was talking about it. Apparently that video was quite the topic back in Darrington. BTW, we walked.

 

The road was clearly posted No Motor Vehicles at the time you guys busted through.

 

In any event, the point here is the hypocrisy. "Access for we; let those fat commoners walk."

 

 

 

[video:youtube]fD2PER1DGKA

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That said, MRNP doesn't hold a friggin candle to the let's-lock-out-the-public agenda of management and staff up at North Cascades National Park.

 

I know, NCNP should get off their asses and put up a restaurant and tram already!! Why must one of the last remote areas in the lower-48 stay that way?? Europe has already proven you can place humanity on every square inch of the alpine, so let's get our act together.

 

Seriously though, I'm actually curious wtf you are talking about? I spend nearly all of my outdoor time up in the N Cascades, a large % of that in the NCNP. I have never been locked out of anything, nor unable to do what I wanted to do. If we are talking about washed out roads or something...well, that's what mountain bikes and not being lazy are for. Or is there something else in particular I'm not aware of?

 

I'm sorry josh, but this is priceless--coming from a guy (you) who crashed the washout gate on the Suiattle road in his 4wd Audi Quatro a few years back and posted the video online.

 

And here I thought the memories of this trip couldn't get any sweeter.

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11732.jpg

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Not sure what this level of psychosis indicates, but the analysis is probably best done elsewhere.

 

In any event, it's part of the official record: The upper portion of the Suiattle Road was closed in 2003 and barricaded to all motor vehicles in 2006. You admit to bypassing the barricade in 2008. Videotaped it, even. Not sure what your obsession with precision is here--other than "gotcha"--but the hypocrisy accusation stands. Traditional road access is desirable--and your willingness to blow the barricade demonstrates this. Good on ya. Just have the decency to support similar traditional access for others.

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Regarding our national parks - I think they're managed very well - its a tough job, particularly in popular parks like Rainier, Yosemite, and Zion. NCNP is kept wild - as befits its character and history. Yosemite balances the needs of drive in tourists, backcountry travelers, and climbers. In all of them, the needs of the environment is king - and that's appropriate to preserve them for the future. If that costs me a few extra bucks here and there, no big.

 

I should also add that the climbing rangers I've met in these parks, and that's been a few now, are first rate. If, Dog forbid, I should ever need help getting my party's ass out of jam - there's no better group of people I can imagine coming to my aid.

 

Mostly, I'm grateful and lucky to live a place that has so much wilderness at hand. The day will come when I can't do the approaches anymore - and I'll be fine with that.

 

That's life.

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kee-rist, can't seem to find old pictures anywhere on my demon computer - that ptarmigan traverse was a true laff-fest and cant' find a fucking mention of it anywhere in my tr list, or pat's or josh's....

 

still, wish josh can find it - one of my fondest memories - sittin in the horrid brush on day 1, right at 420, smoking a butt and glowering at the godawful bastard i was lost with :)

 

skirting round the washout was wicked fun too - as josh said, certainly no sign - just hints of a pre-existing path and a sure-as-shit mutual interest in skipping miles upon miles of peeble-fucking to make it

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ptarmiganbrush.jpg

fuck, damn near wanna bawl looking at this - so simple them times were - n' them boys was right, by the half-way point, 4 days in, we'd run out of wine n' smokes n' so 1 day later josh and i were back at the car and quick to concrete for more :rawk:

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kee-rist, can't seem to find old pictures anywhere on my demon computer - that ptarmigan traverse was a true laff-fest and cant' find a fucking mention of it anywhere in my tr list, or pat's or josh's....

 

still, wish josh can find it - one of my fondest memories - sittin in the horrid brush on day 1, right at 420, smoking a butt and glowering at the godawful bastard i was lost with :)

 

skirting round the washout was wicked fun too - as josh said, certainly no sign - just hints of a pre-existing path and a sure-as-shit mutual interest in skipping miles upon miles of peeble-fucking to make it

 

Ivan, I don't see you mocking someone else's reasonable desire for better access. And certainly you aren't calling them fatasses that should walk or STFU.

 

Glad you had a good experience, in a non-hypocritical way to boot!

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We remember hearing Ivan and Josh loooooong before we could see them....

 

Standing at the pass above White Rock Lakes:

 

"Are they down there?"

 

"Oh yeah, they're down there."

 

We avoided the Bachelor Creek alderfest by traversing the lower Sinister alderfest, followed by the Suiattle River trail Million Hurdle Blowdown Course.

 

The washed out road bestowed both the blessings and curses of solitude.

 

We stumbled out of the wilds, overjoyed to find the spacecraft at road's end, only to find its dilithium crystals deader than Dillinger. Fortunately, the Gadget Master had a recharging unit on board, enabling us to shoot the Video That Will Live In Infamy. We cried, we laughed...we're laughing still.

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