Readership starting to drop, and I'm thinking very, very seriously about discontinuing it. I'm not done, but close. Happy Holydays.
"In climbing a California peak, the challenge is finding a place to park" by Carol Pogash | New York Times November 05, 2014
FREMONT, Calif. — What has become a rite of passage for some has turned into a nuisance for the neighborhood....
Couldn't have said it better muhself.
The East Bay Regional Park District, which operates Mission Peak, shares the neighbors’ concerns. In late September, the hours that the trail is open to hikers were cut back, and the reasons cited were parking problems, curfew violations, more visitors, and “severe trail erosion.” Right now, the park is free and open to all, but administrators are considering fees and permits.
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Unlike other Northern California parks, Mission Peak draws a crowd that reflects the local population. Fremont, a sprawling city southeast of San Francisco and close to Silicon Valley, is 50 percent Asian — mostly Indian, Chinese, and Filipino. Nearby San Jose is 33 percent Latino.
“The majority of users of trails in the United States are overwhelmingly Caucasian,” said Gregory Miller, president of the American Hiking Society. “The people hiking up Mission Peak represent America. Regardless of how people feel about the parking, people from all walks of life have chosen to take this goal-oriented hike — they’re not at the mall. That’s an extraordinary story.”
For generations, hikers ignored Mission Peak. Then came the economic downturn. “People who were laid off or downsized had to give up their gym memberships,” said Michelle Julene, an East Bay Regional Park District planner. They discovered Mission Peak....
Yeah, “I get that, but this park, it’s open to the public, it’s a park that’s being loved to death, and I don’t mind people coming, but they block part of my driveway.”
You can climb the rest if you want. I'm done.
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