Ed, Luba, Kenny and I hiked Magic Mountain today. We took a slightly different approach to the start of the climb. This new route is much better than the traditional approach up the steep and loose slope. The route follows the first ridge the Arnight trail intersects. It then ascends a drainage before topping out on the hiker's path I created. As we continued on the route, I cleaned the route which needed it. It's amazing how fast scrub oak grows. Magic Mountain is a favorite route of many hikers.
I heard the BLM is considering raising the entrance fee to Red Rock Canyon. Not to worry: to make this simple decision the BLM states it will take over one year to decide. Ridiculous! This is one of many problems at Red Rock Canyon: they can't make decisions or take years to make a decision that an individual would make in a very short time. Gee I wonder how much revenue they will lose while they are discussing this issue?
It seems the only thing the RRC officials are interested in is creating a palacial visitor center. The one they have now is more than sufficient. The BLM was caught once already diverting the entrance fees from their intended use to payroll. What they really need to do is improve the parking at Calico I & II, Ice Box Canyon and most of all Pine Creek.
ReplyDeleteAs the population has grown the utilization of these areas has also grown. An alternative would be to building a large lot at the entrance and running a 15 minute shuttle bus to the hiking and climbing areas. After all, we hikers occupy a parking place for anywhere from 4-8 hours. We need to form a loud voice to ensure that the entry fees are spent where they are most needed.