Rock stacking at Mirror Lake ? ? ? ? ? 2

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c wilmot

climber
Mar 30, 2015 - 11:13am PT
Just anothern example of what happens when public servants get comfortable
surfing porn on their swivel chairs inside air conditioned visitor centers
with automatic coffee makers and boxes of donuts.



they have been removed by the trail crew in the past. The whole point of taking them down is that if you give tourists an inch they will take it a mile. Mainly- if you dont like the NPS waste of dealing with them- then dont build them and force the NPS to do something about it.
CCT

Trad climber
Mar 30, 2015 - 11:30am PT
Are we arguing that Mirror Lake is a pristine wilderness destination, and putting rocks in a pile somehow mars the experience? If this were happening 8 miles from the trailhead, at a pretty little glacial tarn, I might agree.

But c'mon! Do we want to take all the fun out of faux-wilderness? Throwing the rocks in the lake seems a bit much.

I recall that there are some fixed ropes on the death slabs above that don't just change the look of the place, they change the fundamental nature of the experience. And NPS didn't authorize those either.
c wilmot

climber
Mar 30, 2015 - 11:36am PT
Tourists have endless excuses for their actions. You would not believe how many people I had to tell to stop trundling rocks down the 4 mile/falls trail while working trails. And every time I told them to stop- I was met with dismissive indignation and an attitude that they had the "right" to act that way.
CCT

Trad climber
Mar 30, 2015 - 11:37am PT
Agreed. I would much rather that folks pile rocks in place, than trundle them. Heck, I don't like it when climbers trundle rocks either, though I do appreciate a safe(r) route.
apogee

climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
Mar 30, 2015 - 11:43am PT
"Do we want to take all the fun out of faux-wilderness?"

My fun in the wilderness (faux or not) involves seeing as little sign of other people as possible. YMMV, and therein lies the rub.
CCT

Trad climber
Mar 30, 2015 - 01:10pm PT
Agreed, Apogee. I like my wilderness to look like wilderness too (though I don't mind that it doesn't act like wilderness. I'm happy with the SAR helicopters, cell phone reception, and lack of local grizzly bears). But anything on the floor of Yosemite Valley is far, far, far from wilderness. If folks want to stack some rocks, and other folks want to knock them down, it's all fun and games between consenting adults.

But permanently altering the game by throwing the rocks in the lake though. That's just not playing fair.


Look, from a land management perspective it's better to concentrate human uses in a single place, then to spread them thin throughout a region. Even occasional use on a climber's trail has wildlife impacts that are not always obvious. I'd rather that Yosemite Valley be managed as a giant wilderness-esque playground, than that people feel compelled to go somewhere obscure and hidden to do something benign like stack rocks. Most importantly, visitors should enjoy their experience, including that magic moment when they balance the top rock, so they go home and vote "Yes!" on whatever conservation bill crosses their local ballot.
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Mar 30, 2015 - 01:15pm PT
I find it ironic that the rangers could be knocking down cairns to the haunting
background strains of rumbling Harleys - so quaint and wildernessy.
Wade Icey

Trad climber
www.alohashirtrescue.com
Mar 30, 2015 - 01:19pm PT
My fun in the wilderness (faux or not) involves seeing as little sign of other people as possible.

then you should never, ever be in the vicinity of mirror lake.
zBrown

Ice climber
Brujò de la Playa
Mar 30, 2015 - 01:47pm PT
pyro

Big Wall climber
Calabasas
Mar 30, 2015 - 02:22pm PT
couchmaster

climber
Mar 30, 2015 - 03:06pm PT


Sierra Ledge Rat spake thusly:
"On another note, I can say that back in the 1990s I was almost shot by National Park Services rangers for knocking over a cairn. Seems that they were quite enraged by my housekeeping activities. They pulled out their guns, had me on my knees and were threatening to execute me out there in the wilderness.

It wasn't a pleasant experience. "

This must be what is known as the full employment act? They get pissed if you get caught stacking them and they get piss if you steal their job of later knocking them over themselves. If something needs to have something done to it, just leave it alone and let the government do it.




couchmaster

climber
Dec 12, 2017 - 03:08pm PT
C Wilmot said: "they have been removed by the trail crew in the past. The whole point of taking them down is that if you give tourists an inch they will take it a mile. Mainly- if you dont like the NPS waste of dealing with them- then dont build them and force the NPS to do something about it."

Job security C. The Mirror Lake stones are @ 15 feet from the road. I like the feel of the place. I notice that folks get read quiet when they walk amongst the stones.
zBrown

Ice climber
Dec 12, 2017 - 08:11pm PT
How dey do dat? Anybody knock 'em down?
the Fet

climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
Dec 13, 2017 - 12:42am PT

One of the few times I've balanced rocks. At balancing rock at Arches NP. Pretty fun spot where all us tourons can set them up. And I'm sure they all get knocked down regularly for reuse.

Actually that's probably the cycle in many places like mirror lake. Someone has fun stacking them and this allows someone else to righteously knock them down. And the cycle repeats.

This one really looks like a duck!

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