Wilderness that too few can enjoy
By Gregg Herrington, Editorial writer
The Columbian newspaper, Vancouver, Washington
Aug. 24, 2007,

During the Vietnam War, an unnamed American Army major
was reported to have said, "We had to destroy the
village in order to save it."

Admittedly, this is a stretch, but that infamous line
comes to mind when I contemplate what's happening to
one of this state's classic hiking routes. An argument
is being made that we must "save" the wilderness so
that fewer can enjoy it.

From that, it's not much more of a stretch to see
parallels in the Columbia River Gorge, where some
folks insist a deteriorating eyesore of an old, idle
sawmill in eastern Skamania County is preferable to a
resort on that same site that would draw people to the
gorge. But that's another story.

The classic hike, which I recommend to anyone in
moderately decent shape, is to Cascade Pass on the
border between Skagit and Chelan counties ­- between
rainy, liberal, Democratic Western Washington and the
dry, conservative, Republican East.

My wife and I last week made our second hike in three
years up the 3.9-mile trail, gaining 1,800 feet over a
moderate grade. From there, we climbed higher, nearly
to Sahale Glacier. But the pass is reward enough.
Here's what the Washington Trails Association says:

"The view from the pass is inexpressible. To the east,
the Stehekin Valley falls away toward Lake Chelan, to
the south, Mix-up Arm, Mount Johannesburg and many
smaller peaks and spires. Back to the west the glacier
carved U-shaped Cascade River Valley. Inspiration
Glacier is unmistakable below Eldorado Peak with its
8,868-foot snow-capped summit."

Cascade Pass was once seen as the route for a
cross-state highway, but plans changed. In 1972, the
present North Cascades Scenic Highway, an engineering
marvel, opened, linking east and west.

More difficult than necessary

But while Cascade Pass remains easily accessible to
hikers from the west, it is needlessly difficult to
reach from the east via the Stehekin River Valley at
the head of Lake Chelan. And that also makes it
needlessly long and unpleasant for those eager to hike
all the way through.

In recent years, floods wiped out parts of the upper
10 miles of the Stehekin Valley Road to a campground
that for decades was the eastern terminus of this
classic east-west trail. So now, hikers on the
Stehekin side must pick their way along 10 miles of
damaged roadbed that is impassable for vehicles. In
short, the trip to the pass and back from the east
or all the way through is a lot less inviting.

The washed-out road is in the Stephen Mather
Wilderness Area. One interpretation of the law is that
the road, which predated establishment of the
wilderness area, may not be rebuilt elsewhere in the
wilderness area. So shuttles that once took westbound
hikers from Stehekin to begin their treks, and that
picked up eastbound hikers and delivered them 23 miles
to Stehekin, now must stop far short of the old
terminus. That makes the route less inviting and
virtually undoable in one day.

Congressman wants to help

U.S. Rep. Richard "Doc" Hastings, R-Pasco, has
introduced legislation clarifying that the National
Park Service may rebuild the road on higher ground,
but he faces stiff opposition.

Editorial columnist Tracy Warner of The Wenatchee
World wrote recently about the deleterious effect of
the washed-out road, not just on would-be hikers whose
day-trip options are now reduced, but on the impact on
tourism in the Stehekin Valley and its 100 or so
year-round residents.

"Exclusivity wasn't part of the concept" of our
national park system, Warner wrote. "National Parks
weren't backpacking preserves only for the enjoyment
of the tiny minority who are fit, healthy, wealthy and
endowed with much free time. … The National Park
Service seems indifferent and the environmentalists
who greatly affect official opinion are openly
hostile. Some promote exclusivity in the name of
preserving wilderness."

Exclusivity in the name of preserving wilderness.
Isn't that something like destroying a village to save
it?
-------------------------
Gregg Herrington 's column of personal opinion appears
on the Other Opinions page each Friday. Reach him at
gregg.herrington@columbian.com