I think it's great to shoot for personal goals, compare times, etc. I do it all the time. Also, I don't want to be overly judgmental about people following established paths. However, there is a problem with Skyline. The number of established paths is growing precisely because so many people are taking shortcuts from the main trail, which is very well-established indeed. This is going to get out of control unless people start showing some restraint. I would rather see some of the existing shortcuts revert to a more natural state than see the number of them continue to grow.
Getting from point A to point B as fast as one can is fine. Shortcuts can certainly help one decrease that time. But why not just make the best time one can on the standard trail?

