"shortcuts" on Skyline

[HikeUp]

The easiest way to tell if a trail is an Indian trail : Lack of switchbacks, they generally went straight up.

Doesn't that imply that the "Indians" were bad stewards?

[zippetydude]

The easiest way to tell if a trail is an Indian trail : Lack of switchbacks, they generally went straight up.

Doesn't that imply that the "Indians" were bad stewards?

Yep! In fact, the settlers really didn't want to take over America, They were just really pissed that the Native Americans were being such bad stewards, what with those straight trails and all!

z

[cynthia23]

Actually many of the early Native Americans had practices that were quite environmentally destructive (slash and burn agriculture, hunting into extermination of all the megafauna on the N. American continent) but given that the Indian's physical existence was on a knife edge (starvation was a frequent fate) I make no moral judgement about what they chose to do at that time. It was necessary to survive and I would have done the same. When every calorie was a precious resource, it would be completely understandable to find the shortest, easiest way to any given location. Nowadays, though, when calories are abundant and wilderness is not, choosing to erode a mountainside and destroy habitat, for no more reason than to win an imaginary competition with others, is clearly immoral.

[zippetydude]

Hi Cynthia. I'm just messin' around there, don't take me seriously. Still, it makes me feel better that there's no equestrian traffic on the trail (I have nothing against horses or the people who love riding them, but horses have a huge impact on the trails where they are ridden) and the average annual rainfall of Palm Springs is only 5.23 inches. Hopefully, given these benign circumstances, the land will recover quite handily like I had mentioned in a previous post.

Hey, any word on that face time suggestion?

z

[Zé]

Nowadays, though, when calories are abundant and wilderness is not, choosing to erode a mountainside and destroy habitat, for no more reason than to win an imaginary competition with others, is clearly immoral.

you're losing your mind

[Zé]

again, cutting switchbacks is bad (ruins trail). creating tons of shortcuts can lead to confusion on a popular trail. got it, agreed.

but these claims of "ruining the wilderness" are a little bit much.

[Zé]

one time, on my 2nd skyline of the day, I somehow got off trail unintentionally (was more work). I apologized to the wilderness gods and prayed that I would not be reprimanded. Then I realized there a freaking TRAM STATION stuck out in the wilderness like a sore thumb. My use of the tram probably has more effect on the wilderness than being off the main trail.

[bluerail]

...maybe I should give up wilderness travel before I hurt something out there, I spend way more time off trails than on them.

I don't want to be a hill killer. I really do like them.

[bluerail]

Theres a TRAM ?!

...what a week, I just found out there's a camera in my phone !!

[AlanK]

Going off-trail does not kill hills. I love off-trail travel, as do many regulars here. That said, hordes of people can cause problems that are negligible when there are only a few individuals out there. Skyline is tackled by hordes these days and, while it may not be "killing the hill" (whatever the hell that means), some practices are certainly making it uglier. I would hope that the regulars here are not part of that. Also, cutting switchbacks on heavily-used trails causes obvious erosion damage and I assume that everyone here realizes, and condemns, that.