Recent comments

Iam wondering what the differnce is between a "national park" and "national monumnet"?

Do you really need a "well regulated militia" in the National Parks? Is your right to self-defense denied because you cannot carry a firearm? Is that really your only means of defense?

I'll second the endorsement of Apostle Islands as an outstanding place to visit, but perhaps I'm biased: I spent 12 years at the park, retiring as Park Historian a couple of years ago.

One point I would add: though the lighthouse collection places the park among the "crown jewels" of NPS historic sites, there's a lot more to the archipelago's human heritage than the light stations alone: every single one of these wild and beautiful islands was someone's home or workplace at one time. The legacy of Native Americans, pioneer farmers and fishermen, fur traders and others can still be seen if you know where to look.

Just by chance, I posted an assortment of historical vignettes on my own web page a couple of days ago. If you're interested, just click on my signature below.

In a word..."Screw the Olympics"

They have become irrelevant and hypocritical...who cares about the olympics???

tom

The park should not allow anyone to go up Angel's Landing without the proper equipment (hiking boots, certain amount of water, etc.) There should be minimum standards set and met before going up. A park ranger should approve the ascent at a checkpoint after meeting such requirements. They should at least post a sign stating the equipment needed to make the climb and a picture of the shoes, etc. with a "X" marked through it.

I read where a parent took a 1 year up on his back. That should be outlawed and a person fined for endangering a minor. Really, no children under 16 should be allowed up. If they can't legally drive a car by themselves prior to that age, they most certainly have no business climbing something this dangerous. Why should we have laws and restrictions for Angel's Landing? To save people from their own arrogance and stupidity.

It's a shame people feel they need a thrill or adrenaline rush to "live life".

If you are planning to climb this landing in the future; make sure you have life insurance, your family may need it.

I don't think Sinking Ship was being totally serious when he made his "they don't like nature" remarks, but do believe that there is a kernel of truth in the observation. My own experience with African-Americans, I grew up in a predominantly black city, was that most didn't generally find a tramp around in the woods to be something that sane and rational folks would want to do.

I always felt like I seemed a little strange to them, with my backpack and hiking boots, going off for days at a time to trek through mountains and swamps. Some even went so far as to tell me that they thought that I might be a little "touched" in the head. Who knows they may have been right after the shape I was in after some of my mis-adventures.

True diversity is just that, which, to me, means diverse activities and pastimes for different groups and cultures. Why do so many white folks out there think that in order for something to be legitimate it must be inclusive of all peoples? Let the free marketplace decide what people want to do and consume! Making it a raw numbers game is just plain dumb and doesn't take into account the myriad of cultural and economic factors that induce different people to participate in a wide spectrum of recreational frolicking.

"The Work/Life Balance score for the NPS is ranked 218th of 222. It is hard to get much worse than that."

"The work/life balance category measures the extent to which employees consider their workloads reasonable and feasible, and mangers support a balance between work and life."

Ok, so NPS employees don't consider their workloads feasible or reasonable (possibly because management is eating up all the money and can't hire support staff) and their managers are slave driving white male patriarchal power mongers (check out the gender and ethnic composition of the service; but hey, I've long advocated that black people just don't like nature).

Even more telling is the low score in effective leadership category which "measures the extent to which employees believe leadership at all levels of the organization generates motivation and commitment, encourages integrity, and manages people fairly, while also promoting the professional development, creativity, and empowerment of employees." The NPS is sorely lacking in effective leaders and is infested with parasites whose self interest trumps the common good.

The NPS is like the Titanic, and those of you on it better get to life boats because this bloated ship is going down.

One attack in Idaho not long ago also. Kind of a nothing story, though. He's in good condition, acted the best way possible under the condition, and the bear was being a bear. It seems that there's hardly a sensational edge to the story. This is a good story of being able to live with an acceptable range of danger.

Interesting that a tv station in Wisconsin picked up the story because one of the workers, a 19 year old woman who works there, helped rescue him. She was from Wisconsin; otherwise besides some wire action, this isn't generating nearly the buzz that the story in Yellowstone did. That had to do with the sensational circumstances, repeat mauling, etc., and perhaps that Yellowstone garners more press. I'm glad; there's far too much press about grizzly maulings, perhaps not enough about the endless car accidents that happen on those roads.

Signs in Yosemite and Sequoia say "If you get into this water you will be swept away and drowned" (Or words to that effect). I don't know how much clearer the NPS could be.