15. February 2013 · Comments Off on Say that again? BCHU · Categories: Tips, Tricks and Tid Bits

 Back Country Horsemen of Utah

Say that again…
With all the public land available for Utah’s horsemen to ride, we often have a
difficult time realizing the threat of restrictions and regulations is real.  However,
not every citizen in the United States shares our view of Wilderness. Viewpoints
of “city” people often are so foreign to our way of thinking we’d never consider
them.

To illustrate the increasing number of urbanites checking out the backcountry,
journalist Tom Wharton read a few actual comments collected last year from
registration sheets and comment cards at entrances to the Bridger Wilderness in
Wyoming’s Wind River Mountains.
•  “Trails need to be wider so people can walk while holding hands.”
•  “Instead of a permit system or regulations, the Forest Service needs to reduce world-wide population growth to limit the number of visitors to wilderness.”
•  “Ban walking sticks in the wilderness.  Hikers that use walking sticks are more likely to chase animals.”
•  “All the mile markers are missing this year.”
•  “Found a smoldering cigarette left by a horse.”
•  “Trail needs to be reconstructed.  Please avoid building trails that go uphill.”
•  “Too many bugs and leeches and spiders and spider webs.  Please spray wilderness to rid the area of these pests.”
•  “Please pave the trails so they can be plowed of snow during the winter.”
•  “Chairlifts need to be in some places so that we can get to wonderful views without having to hike to them.”
•  “The coyotes made too much noise last night and kept me awake.  Please eradicate these annoying animals.”
•  “A small deer came into my camp and stole my jar of pickles.  Is there a way I can get reimbursed?  Please call me at ….”
•  “Reflectors need to be placed on trees every fifty feet so people can hike at night with flashlights.”

Comments such as these reinforce our belief the best way to preserve our heritage of using horses in the backcountry is strong and active local Back Country Horsemen units.

Back Country Horsemen of Utah has a excellent website that contains a lot of timely and useful information, I highly recommend that you visit it.

Comments closed.