Re: trip report 6/12

i, for one, am happy to hear a lot of this finally expressed. because i do see both sides of the argument, im really not an idiot, but the fact remains, without some REAL enforcement, the rules that are supposed to exist dont.

i dont mind the situation now because what i deem myself to do at the springs have been good for it when i leave everytime, and anyone that i have met there and actually started to know seems to do the same. but i definately would not mind the situation either if there was more enforcement of all the rules, because it would still be an enjoyable place.

but like wizard said, where is that enforcement? Mike Castro can be a good guy at filtering bad people out, and helping lots of people when they are in trouble, but thats part of the job, i would suppose, when you make 4 bucks a head. Could he block off access with that rope string that is sometimes run across the road every night? Sure. But I bet his answer would be is that some people want to come in and leave in the middle of the night in the process of camping on his private property, and that it is not only legal but good for him to do so, in case there was any reason any of these had an emergency and needed to leave. the problem, like was stated by two others in reply to this, is that they are not camping at bowen, they camp at the springs. they do it because there is no enfocement on the public lands by the rangers, or privately by mike himself making sure that the people that pay the night fee are actually staying on his property in tents or in their cars, every night. virtually no one would do the things that we are talking about if there was a lot of enforcement, i.e. abandoned cars at bowen ranch at night were towed.

so what do you do? beg for more enforcement from either of the two, usfs or mike? not do anything because bringing it up to either of them is reason for them to try to block access? try to do some enforcement on your own under some set of rules, and then who do you have enforce them? or, if none of that works, do you clean up everyone else's crap when you leave and try to feel a little better about yourself and accept things? I mean, it seems like no one is really happy with the fact that i accept the camping at the springs, or glass, and i would love it if campfire fines were tripled , but at heart, im a realist that loves nature, and to see it unimpacted by people and to share it with like minded people. so like i said, if you dont like the camping, where is the enforcement?

personally, i have never camped at the springs, because i would not want to take all the equipment necessary, but also because it is one of the rules that I want to follow. but like speeding, i havent heard anyone say anything about themselves always leaving at sunset and never enjoying the pools at nighttime. some rules should be changed. and some rules need to be enforced, much more stringently.

so, how do you do it?

by the way, another trip report would be nice... im out of town at the moment...happier thoughts