KSL - State, county leaders push for park expansion in San Rafael Swell

[Iceaxe]

This is anecdotal evidence...a logical fallacy. How many thousands of people have gone through without needing rescue? Your argument implies that because 66% of the time you've been to Ding/Dang you've had to rescue someone, the percentage of visits vs. actual rescues is fairly high. Present some authoritative data on rescues and that argument might start holding some water.

You are reading way too much into my post.

The only thing my post did was answer a question Scott asked, which was why would anyone required rescue in such an easy canyon as LWH. All I did was present him with a couple known examples.

The post was not intended to support any type of argument or statics.

[Sun Dance]

The post was not intended to support any type of argument or statics.

Good. I ask again then, how many people are actually getting rescued out of LWH, and is it really a problem? Enough to use it as justification for state land grabbing and revenue generation?

[Iceaxe]

Something to keep in mind here is the Swell is going to get stiffer land management in the near future one way or another. The Swells days as a wild BLM free fire zone are numbered.

I assume you all know the Swell has been considered for both national park and national monument status among other management plans in recent years. The place is special and stricter management will happen in the not to distant future, so pick your master wisely. The one choice that will not be on the menu for long is to keep it as is.

[Iceaxe]

FWIW- personally I don't believe the SAR reasoning currently holds much weight. Emerey County handles SAR in the Swell and the SAR team is based out of Price.

Also in its current form the Goblin Valley ranger station doesn't have the manpower to lunch much of a SAR mission and continue to effectively service the park. If the park increases in size to what they are asking they probably would have the manpower in house to both launch a SAR and service the park.

[Byron]

pick your master wisely. The one choice that will not be on the menu for long is to keep it as is.

Nailed it. Personally, I'd like things to stay just as they are...a free for all area, a big place where anything (without serious damage) occurs.

I remember back in the late 80s through the mid 90s...you could venture out there and see very few people, mostly locals. Cowboys and ranchers, a few people on ATVs, a few other campers here and there. Sometimes you'd wouldn't see anybody for days. The Escalante was like this...the swell was serious boondocks. Things certainly have changed.

[Sun Dance]

The place is special and stricter management will happen in the not to distant future, so pick your master wisely. The one choice that will not be on the menu for long is to keep it as is.

Good point. I don't like it, but you're right.

[Scott P]

I remember back in the late 80s through the mid 90s...you could venture out there and see very few people, mostly locals.

In the early 1980's, the Sierra Club used to camp in Goblin Valley on Easter Weekend. We went with them a few times and one of their secret places was Little Wildhorse Canyon. We never saw anyone else in Little Wildhorse Canyon (in fact the road out there was pretty poor, so our AMC Pacer couldn't make it and we had to walk the road for a fair distance).

It was in 1985 when Kelsey first published the canyon in his Colorado Plateau guide. In 1986 it came out in the San Rafael guide. Since then the canyons became more and more well known. When we went in 1987, the rangers at Goblin Valley told us that lots of people ask about directions to Little Wildhorse Canyon (the roads back then weren't marked and even the road to Goblin Valley was all gravel from the highway) and they all have "that book".

[Iceaxe]

The first time I did LWH was the early 90's. It was a beautiful Saturday in the spring and I was the only one there. I camped Friday night at the trailhead, hiked the standard loop in the morning and never saw another person. Those days are long gone. You can't put the genie back in the bottle.

[Don]

...This is just like when the Germans were so upset about their economy in the 30s that they all went crying to Hitler and said, oh, yes, give it to me! And boy, did he!

Hahahaha. Godwin's Law on the first page of this thread. Hilarious.