Yesterday I repeated it with my wife it was her idea but her mother passed right before we were going. So it was her plan from the start, We left about nine am it was hot and muggy. (The things you do for your wife )
sorry no pictures in this tr but some commentary and opinions. It was nice to my surprise to see all the down trees cut and removed from the trail for three miles all the way to the Timberline trail ---3 miles and there were a lot. It would have taken mcds a lifetime to cut the amount and the size of the tees that were down that was after two weeks. So they used chainsaws in the wilderness. Last weak we hiked the Tam McAuther Rim trail, all the logs were cut that crossed the tail and again many in the wilderness again chainsaws.
I hike the Hamilton Mt loop and Silver Star loops regularly. I seen work on trails and parking areas at both places. Up in the Mt Margaret back country the trails are good some dont get traveled much but the signage is terrible. I have no clue if Discover and NWFS pass money acounts for this.
I camped a Detroit lake last week for five days with a 25 foot trailer we moored Waverunners and boats for at very reasonable cost. The camps sites with electricity and water I thought were reasonable.This year they had built a new trail all around the lake in the park with gray gravel it was nice for kids in our group.
So places where a lot of people go are being maintained and sometimes improved. I See the money going where people go. I hike all kinds of off grid unmaintained trials (they are mostly old roads) I dont know why people think they are so intitled to these off the beaten path little used trails to get maintained for them.
I dont like unimproved campgrounds run privately or not in the NF. They have always been creepy to us and its not worth the risk of that one weirdo that plays Ozy all night on the boombox and drinks copious amounts of Old English 800.
So I see things are getting done. I despise permits but pissen and monen and throwen out statistics from Google is a joke and will not resolve it. I have fought permits way back in the beginning and, I would not do it again because people will bitch but when it comes to organizing putting a little time in they are nowhere to be found.
We log in this country we all live in wood structures in my neighborhood the smaller homes are 2,400 square ft. So you want the price of wood to go up and pay a mill for a1,000 sg foot home?
My wife and two best friends have spent their carriers in the government and money in small amounts like the NFS pass and the Discovery is usually accounted for. It s the BIG bucks that gets skimed and has diversion issues. They despise stupid permits and rules as much as I do.
Trail organizations are doing good like down at The Kings, Elk trails and Hamilton and Cape Horn.Places where a lot of people hike.
But bitchen about it does nothing --- http://www.portlandhikers.org/forum/vie ... =7&t=19441
My sore spot is the MSH climbing permits. , IMO any maint, improvement money should be spent on the most used trails. If your a hotshot go bushwhacking with your Garmin
And yes I know old trails are falling by the wayside hike um with a GPS you can bushwhack and hop over logs or go find some open country with no trails.Imo the money that's there should be spent where the people go, If more becomes available build new trails restore lost ones. But 99 plus percent of the people do not care one bit about new or old trails. The politicians dont even think about it.
That is just the way it is.