Bedrock & Paradox

I dream of a hard and brutal mysticism in which the naked self merges with a non-human world and yet somehow survives still intact, individual, separate. Paradox and bedrock.

On Ethics

Extract from The Arizona Republic today:

Three California cyclists on an international ride to promote environmentalism have been sentenced to jail and banned from national parks after admitting they ran afoul of a rule designed to protect the environment by riding through the Grand Canyon.

The cyclists were tracked down in Tucson after National Park Service rangers discovered pictures and a journal on the trio’s Web site, http://www.ridingthespine.com. Bikes are prohibited on hiking trails.

Sean Monterastelli, 23; David Yost, 24; and Jacob Thompson, 24, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Flagstaff. They received 48 hours in jail, a five-year ban from national parks, fines and probation.

This would seem to display an unusual amount of initiative on the part of the NPS, but they seem to be a bit spunkier this year. Something of which I am increasing in opposition. Nonetheless, I do think there are places for restrictions in our crowded world, and increasingly as I mature think that for the most part such restrictions ought to be obeyed. Sometimes.

The Grand Canyon’s a good example of the former. An easy example, in that riding there (and the North Kaibab is one of the few ridable trails in the canyon) would largely be foolish and impractical. They’re foot trails by nature. (I do wish we could get rid of the mules, and this a lot of the human rifraf.)

I met those guys in Tucson at SSAZ, and regret the delay in their trip, yet you get what you get. I would not want such poaching to become the norm, anywhere, but especially there.

DaveC

6 responses to “On Ethics”

  1. Sean Avatar
    Sean

    I heard it on NPR this morning. I met those guys at Old Pueblo seemed pretty cool, but F-ing A, how stupid do you have to be to ride inside a National Park. Way to be a good steward.

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  2. Dave Avatar
    Dave

    I’m don’t condone getting caught doing stuff like that but the access case isn’t always so black and white. Where is the non- bureaucratic line drawn? No blood (erosion, invasive species etc), no foul? How about climbing Delicate Arch. Or poaching a campsite close to water in the MAZE? If Bloodnut, Lord of Flatulence can sit his sedate butt in an aero plane and buzz Wilderness (capital W) users to get THE pic, are a couple tire prints in mule briqettes so bad? Is there a difference between camping in a cliff dwelling or on a burial mound? Not according to the NPS. If yun’s finger it out let me know.dp

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  3. Dave Avatar
    Dave

    The Grand Canyon issue is almost distinct, in my mind, from the whole host of others (our dealings with the NPS on the Shafer trail come to mind). The PR dimension is so acute that all else is besides the point. Same with Delicate Arch. If Dean Potter had kept his mouth shut, like all the others before him, nothing would have come of it. Ya gotta play the game.Otherwise, my faith in the Dark Service is rapidly diminishing.

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  4. Sean Avatar
    Sean

    While the ethics of what’s legal is open to debate, we’re in the same side to be sure, the legality of riding in National Parks is not. While riding legal trail in Saguaro NP is a start, I strongly feel that poaching is not helping the cause of getting more. I got my own issues with the NPS but damn, better off with it than without.

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  5. Dave Avatar
    Dave

    Agreed. On the ethics of getting caught, anyway. I don’t see a place for mechanization and maybe even human intrusion into certain places. Elitest attitude? Probably. I agree and can’t imagine any aesthetic benifit to riding the Grand Canyon other than bravado. Saguaro, and even portions of Organ Pipe I feel different about. Probably due to previous occupancy. Great topic, Dave. dp

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  6. Dave Harris Avatar
    Dave Harris

    Hard to keep track of the daves around here…Ethics aside, there’s a healthy dose of Darwinism here. Not too bright to poach the GC then blog it.

    Reply

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