|
|
|
Will it get more crowded than the Jerry's Baddle or Green Race? Doubt it.
Will people from far away paddle less cautiously than the locals on a 'between classes' run? Not likely.
Are people from other states, regions, and countries inherently less skilled or more accident prone than paddlers near Asheville? Go to CA, WA, or BC.
There's a cool river in your backyard, but it's no different from the runs you enjoy in someone elses. Protect access, strive for good releases, warn others of new hazards, and enjoy your local treasure. Saying you discourage scheduled releases because it will make the river more crowded for you and your buddies won't win you many friends when you travel.
Imagine if Scott Lindgren's crew hadn't shared all the California and Stikine info with Daniel D? If the guidbook authors didn't bother. If local paddlers everywhere started sabatoging their local USGS gages we couldn't access the info online? What if Raft companies on the Gauley decided not to allow private boaters because they get hurt and cause crowding? Imagine if local paddlers everwhere refused to use AW Rivers, or blocked access to sites like Boating Beta, Mountainbuzz, Dreamflows etc to out of towners for fear of crowding?
We're in a great age where information about the most serious runs in the world - Toxaway, Middle Kings, Upper Cherry, Yellowstone, Black Canyon, etc as well as the most crowded playspots is all over the internet. Kayakers are adding info and levels and predictions that help the rest of the boating community out when they travel and despite occasional firestorms (Escalante, Upper Cherry) even on permitted runs we've seen access continue to grow and the terrain continue to expand for us all.
The Green is a National treasure. Adding any scheduled release dates could allow hundreds of kayakers from other areas to enjoy this run between work-weeks and allow international kayakers to come mix and mingle with the scene LVM made famous while turning us on to the far away gem's we don't yet know about. Pretty much a win-win situation.
As for access, the more reliable the releases the more keys you will sell to the Big Hungry Parking. And there's always Tuxedo.
C
|
|
|