i once witnessed an adult carry a small child sitting on his shoulders up the mist trail in yosemite NP. not something i would attempt or advise others to do, but that doesnt mean i think anyone should have told them they can't do it.
i have to be honest, of all the BSP rules i've heard discussed this one veers the furthest from a genuine effort at conservation and closest to just restrictive busy bodying.
the cut off line is also kind of curious.... a 5 year old cant do it but a 6 year old can? do rangers who have doubts as to a child's age ask them for ID?
What a bunch of misinformed entitled lazy whiners we have here. BAXTER STATE PARK IS NOT A STATE PARK! YOU DO NOT GET TO PLAY THE THIS LAND IS MY LAND CARD. LOOK IT UP. EDUCATE YOURSELF A SMIDGE BEFORE YOU WHINE ABOUT HOW ITS NOT FAIR. THE AT IS A GUEST OF BAXTER PARK. IT CAN BE KICKED OUT IF IT BECOMES UNDESIRABLE. BAXTER OWES YOU NOTHING. YOU AND YOUR 1-6 YEAR OLD BRAT ARE NOT SPECIAL DESPITE WHAT YOUR FAMILY TELLS YOU. THATS JUST THE WAY IT IS.
Teej
"[ATers] represent three percent of our use and about twenty percent of our effort," retired Baxter Park Director Jensen Bissell.
this is possibly the stupidest thing i have read on the internet in weeks congrats.
i understand your thing is to try and make inflammatory statements to get a rise out of people, but this idea is only a good idea to somebody that enjoys cutting their nose off to spite their face. Not only because of baxter but you would skip a bunch of good hiking between whitecap and abol bridge.
the park is not going to kick out the AT that is silly talk - there is a damn good case that doing so would violate the deeds the park authority is legally bound to honor. But there is nothing stopping the park from removing any and all special privileges the long distance hikers now enjoy
so there is no responsibility on the parents to not even let it get that far...its no secret, the rules are easy to find, it has been in place for decades. at some point its mom and dad who should be doing the adult thing and respecting a place in which they are a guest.
It’s not a stupid idea at all. It would solve a lot of problems.
And I have to say, LW deserves a little more respect. He has a vast amount of experience on the AT and is a great source of knowledge. If he didn’t keep forgetting the damn smiley face, his replies wouldn’t seem so terse.
The Deeds of Trust direct that not one square inch ever comes under control of the Federal government.
The Park hosts the AT. The AT doesn't have say in any Park matter.
As the Director's letter to the ATC stated, the AT could easily end at the boundary.
Doing so wouldn't 'violate' the Deeds, there's a strong argument that doing so would actually enforce them.
Teej
"[ATers] represent three percent of our use and about twenty percent of our effort," retired Baxter Park Director Jensen Bissell.
Not sure the under six rule is specifically a Deeds of Trust issue, other than the BSP commission is delegated the right to make the rules in BSP. I don't think Percival Baxter cast the age 6 rule in stone. Far more likely that the BSP commission put in a common sense rule which is their right in managing the park. There are always exceptions like the girl who did the NH 4000s at age 6, but the vast majority of children age 6 are not in the condition to do it on their own and potentially put their parents at risk if they are carrying the kid.
Last edited by peakbagger; 07-26-2018 at 19:03.