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clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
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Mar 26, 2015 - 06:39am PT
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Clint, why is Half Dome considered wilderness when the cables (which would be tacky in Disneyland) are still firmly attached? Half Dome (like Cerro Torre) is a singular expression of natural granite architecture and deserves much more than having pitiful human architecture affixed to their flanks.
Yosemite, unfortunately, is the paradigm example of noxious human intrusion into a natural cathedral of profound importance.....Japan could do no worse if it existed there.
Uh oh, the cables are going to get chopped. "Free Half Dome" bumper stickers for $5.95, T-shirts $12 each. Save the Dome!
Disneyland has got absolutely nothing on The Valley. Measles and hantavirus, waiting in line to get in the park and for your favorite rides, concessions, rescue on call if you get stuck on your ride(El Cap). Characters in costume.
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justthemaid
climber
Jim Henson's Basement
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Mar 26, 2015 - 07:27am PT
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Like some folks have stated, if the stacking is in a river or on a rocky shoreline, I don't really see an impact issue. Out in the forest.. not such a great idea. Goldsworthy's work is beautiful and temporary.
The official stance from the LNT folks is to actively discourage random stacking. Like graffiti, it encourages others to do the same. People start wandering farther to find new rocks, creating new access trails spidering out from the site, trampling foliage and disrupting small habitats unnecessarily.
Edit to add: Although I was initially ambivalent about stacking when I started reading this thread...upon further reflection... I'll place myself firmly in the camp of cairn-topplers (when it comes to forested areas.) It's better knock them over. Even if they get rebuild them, it diverts people from foraging for new building materials.
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c wilmot
climber
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Mar 26, 2015 - 10:28am PT
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To reiterate the park service spent several days in 2012 taking out those rock piles near mirror lake. Half of the Trail Crew I was on was assigned the task along with some volunteer group. They literally used a dump truck to haul the rock piles out of there (with the hope of making it harder for them to be re-created).
What would you rather the NPS trail crew do? Create better access to the wild for both tourist and SAR- or have them removing pointless rock stacks that are not allowed to begin with?
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this just in
climber
Justin Ross from North Fork
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Mar 26, 2015 - 10:36am PT
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For f*#ks sake. Climbers crying over stacked rocks. Why do I post here, again? Lol and lulz.
Edit: No offense Kath. Guess it's more worthy than explosive diarrhea. By all means have at it.
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son of stan
Boulder climber
San Jose CA
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Mar 26, 2015 - 10:56am PT
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Solved it. Park Servicers can hang signs showing stick figure human
kicking over rock stacks.
Signs solve everything. Just ask the government.
Move along to next crisis.
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Ken M
Mountain climber
Los Angeles, Ca
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Mar 26, 2015 - 11:50am PT
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eKat, I think you touch greatly upon the conundrum.
What is the harm? People connecting to the natural world, in whatever bizarre way that they start doing. Maybe they get tired of stacking, and look around occasionally, as they are catching their breath?
There has been this shift, which I suspect has gone too far, of separating humans and human activity, from nature. 6 inch holes rubbed into rocks by Indians is ok, because that was the way it was, but stacking unaltered rocks is not, even though that is the way it is? I'm not sure I see the logic of the difference.
Ultimately, I think Parks are about making a connection, and allowing non-harmful things that do that, should be carefully considered.
Using a trail crew that way is shameful, in my book. If it were my crew, I'd walk off.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Mar 26, 2015 - 12:22pm PT
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The Mirror Lake road seems to be open to vehicles with handicapped plates, too.
I've seen a couple of such vehicles up there.
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Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
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Mar 26, 2015 - 12:32pm PT
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There has been this shift, which I suspect has gone too far, of separating humans and human activity, from nature. 6 inch holes rubbed into rocks by Indians is ok, because that was the way it was, but stacking unaltered rocks is not, even though that is the way it is? I'm not sure I see the logic of the difference.
The difference? A handful of native Americans vs. 4 million visitors a year? I can see the difference.
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hooblie
climber
from out where the anecdotes roam
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Mar 26, 2015 - 02:14pm PT
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i spoze it's too late to number the rocks and assign orange suited community service perps to hand out fliers with the key to proper placement a la milton bradley puzzle box lids
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rbord
Boulder climber
atlanta
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Mar 26, 2015 - 02:57pm PT
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Yea I'm with TMJesse too. The first time I saw them I was mildly annoyed but that quickly evolved to mildly charmed. If the ephemeral pleasure of stacking rocks is someone's connection to wilderness, that seems like a good spot to cultivate it.
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Rayman
Trad climber
pa
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Mar 26, 2015 - 05:16pm PT
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... someone needs to grab that Keystone Balance guy and "wack his pee pee"...!!...
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Ricky D
Trad climber
Sierra Westside
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Mar 26, 2015 - 08:56pm PT
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Seriously?
You pompous azzholes are debating the relative natural purity of stacking f*#king rocks atop one another?
What - your cable is out and you can't watch SpongeBob?
I'm sorry for being a Grumpy Cat - but I've just spent three weeks dealing with a family member with a stroke and a close friend going through a job loss - and I come here for comic relief and find THIS is the HOT F*#KING TOPIC of the WEEK?
Fuk!
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