Oregon Hikers

Water wrote: ↑

July 12th, 2019, 8:53 pm

One of the very cheapest activities is maintaining trails, just the basics. Go look at any reports, Americorps crews cost relatively nothing in the scope of income and expenditures. But while Willamette National Forest tries to restrict access, out the other side of their mouth they've actually decommissioned numerous miles of trail over the years, including recently. That BS doesn't jive to me. I don't bother with any stinking permits, passes, or the self-entry pieces of trash at trailheads with broken pencils and Scantron bubbles, the data within that is only used against hikers access interests.

^^^^^^^
This.

my buddy got a $80 ticket for now having a Northwest Forest Pass

I have never heard of getting a ticket like this

Somewhere in Wenaha area - Northeast Oregon

Funny thing is, he was displaying a Northwest Forest Pass from his rear view mirror

He's going to call/write to see if they'll dismiss it

Otherwise he has to send in $80 or go to Spokane courthouse to contest

retired jerry wrote: ↑

July 14th, 2019, 6:57 am

Otherwise he has to send in $80 or go to Spokane courthouse to contest

Or do nothing at all.

that would be a good experiment. Ignore it. See if some day, when you get stopped by some law enforcement person, it's on your record and the LEO gives you special attention as a result.

retired jerry wrote: ↑

July 14th, 2019, 8:26 am

that would be a good experiment. Ignore it. See if some day, when you get stopped by some law enforcement person, it's on your record and the LEO gives you special attention as a result.

Jerry, it's not without risk, for sure. For me, the only consequence I've experienced was a single collection report from Hood River County on my credit record. It disappeared after 7 years.

I've never paid a non-moving violation ticket in my life (60 years old, 40 years of driving, maybe a dozen tickets both urban and rural) and I've never been inconvenienced yet, not even had to answer to a police person about it. It's just a parking ticket. I don't try to violate but it happens occasionally, usually due to forgetting to show the pass, sometimes discovering at the TH that I needed to buy a special pass.

I called both the Zigzag and Hood River Ranger Stations in June to ask what the fine was for not displaying a pass because that was the most common question I was getting as a volunteer. The people answering the phones wouldn't tell me what the official fine was and instead said that most rangers will use their discretion to just charge you $5 - the cost of a day pass. I assume this is not a ticket, per se, but a fee envelope left on your windshield. Not sure if you're supposed to mail it in or what, since there are no pay stations at any Mt. Hood trailheads.

I'm ashamed to admit a couple-three years ago I paid $5 for a day permit at Ape Canyon (St Helens). I'm such a sucker, can't believe I fell for the extortion racket.

removed

The boundary trail makes a great early morning or late evening hike; I think the light on the mountain looks best then anyway.

Water wrote: ↑

July 14th, 2019, 11:16 pm

Wait, they're saying that the fee is not just for parking, but also to use the trails? What about if you were to park farther down the road in a pullout and then walk the pavement all the way up to JRO and go straight through the parking lot and then try to hike? Would they demand their $8 tithe anyway? Does that run afoul of Adams v USFS, or is JRO a special thing that they can charge money to enter the vicinity of regardless of what you do after that?