RE: [Paddlewise] The Ocean is Big Enough For All of Us!

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jerry Hawkins [mailto:jhawkins_at_cisco.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2000 7:13 AM

> The only other boat on 
> the water was a lone kayaker who pulled into the dock 5 
> minutes after me.  I think 9 square miles is big enough for 2 
> paddlers in the same day.
> 
  Having moved here to SE Alaska from the Chicago area, I understand what
the urban paddlers on the list are saying about being able to find solitude
on the water, but for the most part it's a relative solitude.  Yes, I used
to paddle off shore and could easily be 2 or 3 miles away from the nearest
human being - but then when I came back to shore it was the normal
urban/suburban experience.  That's was a solitary experience, but not what
I'd call solitude.
  I think what the original intent of this thread was about was something
that I believe we all (I'm limited by familiarity to the US) would
acknowledge as an issue - the crowding and use/overuse of many popular
lakes, shorelines and coastlines.  It's the "love the outdoors to death"
syndrome.  It's not just wilderness areas that are experiencing increased
use, it's practically everywhere.  Right here in Juneau we're going to see
around 632,265 cruise ship passengers - up from last years total of 591,958
- and they're all having their Alaska Wilderness Experience of a Lifetime!
The issue is all about more people, with more money, and more leisure time.
We kayakers aren't going to solve this one, and I'm scared of what it may
someday come to - reading Dave Kruger's accounts of trying to get permits in
the Queen Charlottes gave me a sad forboding of what may come to pass in
many areas of the country.
  Yes, this issue is one of the reasons that I choose to live here in Alaska
- and I sadly admit to being guilty of the very thing that I'm railing
against - my presence here detracts by a factor of one the value of our
Southeastern "wilderness".  But I'm not leaving!<grin>

Dave Seng
Juneau, Alaska
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