HikeArizona.COM

I gotta vent.

Ya know, in just about every single book or article on hiking there is always the caveat at the end of a trail description (especially if it is remote or strenuous) to contact the NPS or the Ranger District or whomever for road, trail, water, weather or other conditions. Is it just me? The few times I have actually been compelled to do so, I get the most obnoxious, unhelpful people. Jeeezzz. Ed had it right.

Last August I called the RD to ask about the water conditions in Chevelon Canyon. I received a fair warning of " small trickles that you might be able to filter". When I took the trip- the creek was 40 feet wide and deep enough to raft down! Jeezzz..

Another time I called and asked about the road conditions to a very popular HAZ described peak- the person whom I spoke with didn't even know what I was talking about.

Today, I call CNP - Island district in Utah and asked about road conditions on White Rim Road- and had the distinct displeasure of talking to some condescending knuckledhead who advised me to "check the forecast" when I asked if there was snow down there. I just wanted to know if there was snow on the road! Argghhhh!! I understand that not every NPS employee can be out actually "rangering" the wilds, but jeezz..how about manning those centers with people who actually have dirt on their bootheels.

Okay- I'm done. For the sake of good preparation, I shall continue to use word-of-month of fellow hikers, books, articles, trip descriptions and websites from such invaluable resources such as this one, and leave the NPS personnel to drinking coffee, handing out maps, taking my money and the other bureaucratic nonsense which they seem to excel at.

Any NPS employees in the present company are of course, excluded from the above description. :roll:

Only bitter for a little while,
Mike

In response to joe bartels' reply:

I have some sympathy for that point of view. However, I remain frustrated by the threat of fines in fee parking areas attended by perrenially broken machines. If they can't staff the lots, fix the machines. If they can't fix the machines, find another way to gather revenue.

My .02 worth, if it has a pay station, it is not a trail I must do. The best TH's are unmarked and unmanned by any devices. Lots more out there to see and do. Drive a little bit and enjoy your hike, without tickets, fines or breakins.

Most people are not born hikers. Hiking is something that must be learned- you learn how to navigate terrain, you learn how to read the weather, you learn when to go and when not to go. It's all about preparation.
and you CANNOT be prepared for WHATEVER nature might bring. There is nothing wrong with a little additional research- that is why we have this very resource right here.

When I started this thread, I was asking a NPS employee about ROAD conditions in a NP that is 500 miles away. I see nothing at all wrong with asking that question- his answer would only help me to prepare, not to make the decision whether to go or not.

That megalomaniacal "strike out on your own" attitude works great when you are experienced. Some people are not- and you only gain experience by doing it- not "car camping instead of backpacking". Gaining experience in preparation is part of it.

For any lurkers out there- use WHATEVER resource you can to learn about the trail you are planning to take. 90% of people never step off the pavement. Some people forget when they took that first step.

I agree with the last post. No matter how much experience you have it doesn't hurt to have a little up to date information. Such as whether or not such and such a spring or creek happens to be dry right now. Or whether a dirt road has been re-graded to passenger car status, or is it only for 4wd? Having questions like these answered doesn't necessarily diminish my experience.

Sometimes I guide trips for a hiking club. When I do that I feel some responsibility toward the folks that show up for my hike, oftentimes who have very little backpacking experience. So I really would like to know if that spring is dry now, so we need to take 2 gallons of water apiece, or can we just bring our water filters, etc? The Chevelon Canyon thing is case in point--the folks at the Ranger District made it sound like it might be dry, when actually it was very full, lots of deep swimming holes and a great many natural lakes that were 100 feet across and a half mile long--a great deal of water! How could they not have known that? That's why I suspect they were just "playing" with me. And on the taxpayer's dollar! I resent that!

Actually I agree with most of the posts. Use "Beta " when you can get it, from whatever source.

BUT---- the beta may be wrong, it may be outdated, the info may be regarding a nearby place or stream, not the one you think, you may be getting it third hand. The ranger got it from a hiker, or another ranger who was out there last week.
So--have plenty of water, plenty of food, understand your ability, have several back up plans in place.

I solo and I have been A: lost B: with a vehicle break down and stranded 5 days C: Injured hiking, had heat exhaustion D: Short on water
E: once dealt with a crazy person meaning me harm at a TH.

Made it out of all of those, because I was prepared, not experienced, it was a first time for all of the above.