Opinion America's National Park DM&R backlog balloons to over $22 billion, US Congress Proposes More Cuts

[Deorum]

LoL, the 49'ers went into the DV with some wagons, no help, no maps and just grit. Just savage pioneering.

They were some bad motherfuckers, no doubt.

 

[LMP]

I do a lot of hiking in Missouri and Arkansas. There are a lot of spots where you can be out in the middle of nowhere and not see anyone for a whole week. The natural beauty that America holds is vast. It's a shame that so many people in politics want to see all of America privatized for profit. More money definitely needs to be spent not only protecting the land but the waters as well.

If ypu are brave enough and experienced enough you can find spots where no one hardly ever sees. There are so many caves that are incredibly hard to get to that it really feels like you are discovering things deep in the forest. Abandoned logging equipment and dams all over the place.

 

[terrapin]

The Trump administration cut funding to all national parks. It's a total s*** show where I live. We have a bunch of a****** campers who park their trailers in the best camping spots all year round because there aren't enough rangers to police them. You can go up to go camping and have 10 great spots taken with trailers with nobody in them and there's nobody to stop them from doing it.

There's places I just won't go anymore because I don't want to get pissed off due to not being able to find a place because all the good ones are taken by people who won't even be there.

I also want to add to this post that most of the a****** campers I'm talking about are mostly Trump supporters!!!

I know that based on the demographic and the type of person that does that when you see them, they're just the assholes of the world and bullies whenever they can be.

There's a natural spring up a trail off of a big open area up there where I love to camp the most. And these cowboy guys who definitely are Trump supporters because I have sat and talked to them have their camp built all around it so you have to walk through their camp to get to the spring...

They make it very uncomfortable if you try to get through there and you got to go talk to them and they stop you and interview you and see what you're doing. The spring is public property.

Too much deregulation just means gangs take over. It's not the panacea that right-wing people try to pretend it is.

I have a certain love for that type of person because my dad was that way so I'll sit and talk to them and be friendly but they're bullies and they're trying to own public property because there's no law to make them stop.

But just to balance things out. I'm very far left but you can't tell by looking at me because I'm a real thick muscly guy with a bald head and big beard and I like ATVs and the evil dirty, terrible judgment and genuine hatred that I get from lefty people out there who are hiking sometimes is just as uncomfortable!! Where I am is shared use trails but you wouldn't know it from the hatred and resentment some people from the left shoot at you as you go by....

Still I've have never had any of them try to stop me from being where im allowed to be.

 

[Deorum]

The natural beauty that America holds is vast. It's a shame that so many people in politics want to see all of America privatized for profit. More money definitely needs to be spent not only protecting the land but the waters as well.

“Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children’s children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.”

 

[Deorum]

I also want to add to this post that most of the a****** campers I'm talking about are mostly Trump supporters!!!

I know that based on the demographic and the type of person that does that when you see them, they're just the assholes of the world and bullies whenever they can be.

There's a natural spring up a trail off of a big open area up there where I love to camp the most. And these cowboy guys who definitely are Trump supporters because I have sat and talked to them have their camp built all around it so you have to walk through their camp to get to the spring...

They make it very uncomfortable if you try to get through there and you got to go talk to them and they stop you and interview you and see what you're doing. The spring is public property.

Too much deregulation just means gangs take over. It's not the panacea that right-wing people try to pretend it is.

I have a certain love for that type of person because my dad was that way so I'll sit and talk to them and be friendly but they're bullies and they're trying to own public property because there's no law to make them stop.

But just to balance things out. I'm very far left but you can't tell by looking at me because I'm a real thick muscly guy with a bald head and big beard and I like ATVs and the evil dirty, terrible judgment and genuine hatred that I get from lefty people out there who are hiking sometimes is just as uncomfortable!! Where I am is shared use trails but you wouldn't know it from the hatred and resentment some people from the left shoot at you as you go by....

Still I've have never had any of them try to stop me from being where im allowed to be.

Where do you live bro, lol. You should go to Death Valley, nobody will bother or impede on you. Aside from the cryptids, skinwalkers, and angry spirits from the abandoned mines.

 

[BearGrounds]

“Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children’s children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.”

​

Roosevelt was a Bigfoot believer. He knew the deal.

I have to get around to reading his book, Wilderness Hunter.

 

[Deorum]

Roosevelt was a Bigfoot believer. He knew the deal.

I have to get around to reading his book, Wilderness Hunter.

It lives here.

 

[Deorum]

Version 2: we have hotels in Vegas for part of the trip and a hotel out near Yosemite.

Harrison Ford needs your help.

 

[MichiganMMA1978]

Hopefully I can make it out to the Sequoias in 2025. The plan is still to do the Vegas trip in October. I'm also planning on taking a mini-vacation in the summer by driving the lake Michigan circle tour. I'll stop on Indiana Dunes NP along the way.

As far as dunes go around Lake Michigan, I much prefer the Sleeping Bear Dunes.

 

[Mr Holmes]

As far as dunes go around Lake Michigan, I much prefer the Sleeping Bear Dunes.

Yeah, I got those on my list of planned stops too.

 

[MichiganMMA1978]

Yeah, I got those on my list of planned stops too.

Nice!
It might be a little bit off your route, but when in the U.P. pictured rocks is beautiful! Especially the miners castle and miners falls.

 

[Deorum]

I've been seeing a lot of promotion for what has been dubbed the "Grand Circle" of national park road tripping between Utah, Colorado, and Zona but I think I would overdose on sedimentary red rocks tbh. I've got no desire to visit any of Utah's "Mighty Five" because the Grand Canyon is already plenty enough, and they just basically look like Sedona to me. I mean, it's all Colorado Plateau and very samey. But extraordinary for most people around the country who aren't used to the sort of scenery and landscapes that were created from it.

 

[Deorum]

Alternatively, you could blaze west from Vegas and hit the infamous Mojave Desert (Read: Death Valley) before going around and back up into the High Sierra (Sequoia & Yosemite) for the greatest concentration of granite cliffs, majestic waterfalls, giant sequoia groves, and lush meadows to be found anywhere on earth; maybe even cut horizontally and snag an all-time scenic drive along the Pacific Coast Highway as a trip capper. It's politically inconvenient to admit for people but California is objectively extraordinary, just fucking ridiculous with it.

 

[Deorum]

Hopefully I can make it out to the Sequoias in 2025. The plan is still to do the Vegas trip in October. I'm also planning on taking a mini-vacation in the summer by driving the lake Michigan circle tour. I'll stop on Indiana Dunes NP along the way.

Bastard Chicagoans.

The General Noble Tree was a monumental giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron Giganteum) situated in the Converse Basin Grove, within the boundaries of the Giant Sequoia National Monument, in Fresno County, California. It was believed to be the biggest tree in the world before its felling in 1892 for an exhibit at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago where it was met with ridicule and skepticism, earning the nickname "California Hoax" by those who doubted the authenticity of its massive size.

RIP General Noble.



"Hoax", lol. Ironic Compliment, Cunts.



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Sentinel standing guard.

 

[Mr Holmes]

Bastard Chicagoans.

The General Noble Tree was a monumental giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron Giganteum) situated in the Converse Basin Grove, within the boundaries of the Giant Sequoia National Monument, in Fresno County, California. It was believed to be the biggest tree in the world before its felling in 1892 for an exhibit at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago where it was met with ridicule and skepticism, earning the nickname "California Hoax" by those who doubted the authenticity of its massive size.

RIP General Noble.



"Hoax", lol. Ironic Compliment, Cunts.



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Sentinel standing guard.

Uncultured swine.

 

[Mr Holmes]

Any vets in here should pick one of these up.

 

[jk7707]

Any vets in here should pick one of these up.

Second this. A lot of people don't realize that any veteran can get a lifetime pass (as long as you weren't dishonorably discharged) that gets you into any federal public land that charges an entrance fee, for free. So that's national parks, forest service, BLM.

These just came out in the last couple years.

 

[Deorum]

Version 2: we have hotels in Vegas for part of the trip and a hotel out near Yosemite.

I've got five whole days out there at the end of the May and literally cannot wait. In the late spring and early summer there's arguably more jaw dropping scenery per square foot than anywhere else on Earth, between the sheer granite literal rock-stars of El Cap, Half Dome, Glacier Point, Three Brothers, Cathedral Group, Sentinel Rock and majestic waterfalls of Vernal (317 ft), Nevada (594 ft), Bridalveil (620 ft), Ribbon (1,634 ft), Sentinel (1,920 ft) and namesake Yosemite (2,425 ft), the tallest on the continent. Vernal is the shortest but downright spectacularly violent when its roaring at peak flow rate. Aside from the possible crowds, I just can't imagine the Mist Trail - which goes literally right up alongside it (and Nevada) - as being anything short of one of the greatest experiences this life has to offer.

Uncultured swine.

Our Trees Are Better Than Your Ruins

On June 30 1864, in the midst of a bloody civil war, President Abraham Lincoln signed “An Act authorizing a Grant to the State of California of the Yo-Semite Valley, and of the Land embracing the Mariposa Big Tree Grove.” For the first time, ideological values implicit in the setting aside of...

ushistoryscene.com

Our Trees Are Better Than Your Ruins​

On June 30 1864, in the midst of a bloody civil war, President Abraham Lincoln signed an Act authorizing a grant to the State of California of the Yosemite Valley, and of the land embracing the Mariposa Big Tree (Giant Sequoia) Grove. For the first time, ideological values implicit in the setting aside of land for public recreation and enjoyment had been given priority over the potential for material and financial advancement. Eight years later, in 1872, Yellowstone became the world’s first national park.

These unprecedented acts of wilderness preservation laid the foundations for a now global model of national park creation. Everyone who today enjoys the natural wonders of the world owes such enjoyment to these preservation efforts in the early United States. Promotional materials for the early parks emphasized that, by traveling to these Western natural sites, Americans would be honoring the pioneering experiences of the early frontiersmen. Visitors could engage with the uniquely American history of westward expansion and in doing so, could achieve some physical and spiritual freedom.

While the political implications of this desire to match the famous grandeur of Europe’s art and nature through the newly discovered wonders in Yosemite are difficult to prove, the volume of literature that stresses the comparison between the two continents indicates that it was of no small significance. Frederick Law Olmsted (designer of New York’s Central Park) – one of the first people to suggest that natural scenes were favorable in securing the health, vigor, and happiness of men – directly criticized the system in England whereby wealthy land owners created private parks solely for the enjoyment of their own families.

For Olmsted, such a system represented a monopoly in which the vast majority of the population, including those who would gain most from a period of recreation, were excluded from the physical and psychological benefits offered by such parks. Yosemite National Park was to be a cultural asset superior to anything in Europe and a conspicuous example of American democratization.





Surreal.

 

[Mr Holmes]

I've got five whole days out there at the end of the May and literally cannot wait. In the late spring and early summer there's arguably more jaw dropping scenery per square foot than anywhere else on Earth, between the sheer granite literal rock-stars of El Cap, Half Dome, Glacier Point, Three Brothers, Cathedral Group, Sentinel Rock and majestic waterfalls of Vernal (317 ft), Nevada (594 ft), Bridalveil (620 ft), Ribbon (1,634 ft), Sentinel (1,920 ft) and namesake Yosemite (2,425 ft), the tallest on the continent. Vernal is the shortest but downright spectacularly violent when its roaring at peak flow rate. Aside from the possible crowds, I just can't imagine the Mist Trail - which goes literally right up alongside it (and Nevada) - as being anything short of one of the greatest experiences this life has to offer.

Thats awesome. Make sure to take a few pics and post them or share them with me on discord. How long of hikes do you like to take? One of the big issues I have is my girl isn't much of a hiker and clings to my back pack for dear life on any hike above easy. It some what limits how far I can go. But we once did 10 miles straight on a level trail.

 

[Deorum]

Thats awesome. Make sure to take a few pics and post them or share them with me on discord. How long of hikes do you like to take? One of the big issues I have is my girl isn't much of a hiker and clings to my back pack for dear life on any hike above easy. It some what limits how far I can go. But we once did 10 miles straight on a level trail.

Damn, that sucks. I take it she also isn't much of a camper then either. I prefer strenuous to downright difficult but what I do depends on if I'm solo or with the kids (and which ones). This trip will be a full-blown vacation for them, were staying at a resort with indoor pools and hot tubs (lol) just outside the south entrance and Mariposa Grove welcome plaza. So I'll be sort of limited on that front as well but there's no way in hell we aren't doing the Mist Trail.

I'll drag (carry) my six year old up to the top of Vernal Falls if necessary. It means the most difficult hike (Half Dome) is out of the question, but I'm pretty sure they can handle at least half of the way on the Upper Yosemite Falls trail and maybe even the Four Mile to Glacier Point (which you can also just drive up to and immediately get the payoff overlook). A lot of the most incredible scenery is able to be taken in just from exploring around the valley floor and meadows itself.

And that's one good thing about Sequoia for you and her if you include it on the trip. All the trails to experience what you came to see - the Giant Sequoias - are insanely accessible and easy: Big Trees Trail, Sherman Trail, Congress Trail, Crescent Meadow Loop, Tokopah Falls. They're all flat pieces of cake that a 3 year old can probably manage. You can also get an epic view from the top of Moro Rock from walking up a 350 foot staircase constructed into the side of the granite. Sequoia has insane hikes into the backcountry as well, but most people are there for the Giant Forest. It's impossible to miss and requires no work to enjoy.