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I tend to agree with you, but it's just not how it works. Getting wilderness declared is a tricky political dance of compromise. Look at the Middle Fork: biggest wilderness area in the country and there are how many airstrips? I can think of no fewer than 8 off the top of my head, at least two of which are on Federal land in the wilderness! OK, so allow private inholdings to maintain historic access, but use federal dollars to maintain an airstrip inside a wilderness area? come on.I don't think motorized vehicles of any type should be in a wilderness area, which is kind of the point of wilderness areas, right?
Thoughts?
I guess it's just a matter of degrees. You don't like the noisy motors for air pumps? What if they were quiet? What about the a-holes who don't grease their raft pumps that sound like dying seals every morning?
Most cameras have small motors. How long before the FS tells us we can't take photos in the wilderness?
I guess the line the USFS tries to walk re: motors and machines in the wilderness just kinda pisses me off. It's OK to drag a damn sled up and down the hill at Indian Creek, but NOT a wheel barrow since it has a wheel? Give me a break. I'm pretty sure they had wheel barrows in that area long before it was declared wilderness.
Drones would piss me off. Planes flying in and out of the MFS every day detract from the wilderness feeling for me. Wheel barrows seem pretty primitive and wildernessy to me. Speakers are allowed, so far as I can tell. Cameras allowed. No water pumps, like a Zodi shower.
Anyway, I guess everything is like that. When you start trying to decide what's allowed where, things get muddled. "Share the road" is another one that drives me nuts. We have traffic laws for public safety. Some vehicles aren't allowed on public roads: atvs, dirt bikes (unless they have the required equipment and registration), Segways, etc. Why aren't they allowed? They're a danger to themselves and others. So, how's a road bike much different? They travel at vastly different speeds than highway traffic, and can cause hazardous situations to other drivers, yet somehow they're allowed. Anyway, sorry to digress.
That's my rant.