Surprise Canyon, my two cents worth.

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Posted by Gene Rubin on August 04, 2002 at 11:41:47:

We'll this is an interesting topic. I really do enjoy 4X4 travel and have done thousands and thousands of miles of it through the Saharan Desert, Alaskan and Canadian Arctic, every little dirt road in Baja/Sonora/Chihuahua and all over the USA west and south west. I have also been up Surprise Canyon. I chose to do it on foot. I am getting older and it was not an easy hike. There are many places that some can hike to that I simply can no longer. That is OK. How many of you can hike to the moon? Do you think we should build a road there? There will come a day when I am too old to hike Surprise Canyon. I will be much happier knowing that nature has been returning it to a wild state than to be able to drive up it. Long before the miners and jeepers travelled up that canyon, the frogs and fish lived in the river. Just take a look into the pools at the base of the Class VI water fall that vehicles need be winched up. Do you see the tadpoles? This species matures and lays eggs in only two weeks. Their entire life is but a couple of months. Do you not think they deserve a short life without being crushed by a tire? You have 70 years to find great places of nature to which you can drive or hike. Without a doubt, all of us on this site have a true love for nature, that is why we are here no matter what the mode of transportation. Yes, I feel depressed when a favorite dirt road is closed but I do believe that this is one that should be. Besides, it takes longer to drive it than hike it by the time you get over the falls.
You do not have to worry about running out of places to drive your 4x4's. The US Forest Service has more miles of dirt roads on it than the entire federal interstate highway system. Your hard earned tax dollars pay for thousands of miles of dirt roads to be made in order to subsidize the mining and logging industries every year.
Death Valley National Park has hundreds of miles of dirt road. I know we hate to lose any of it but lets face it, the world human population is doubling every 16 years, California is due to double in less than 12 years. Let's give the tadpoles and frogs their 500 square feet. The world is filling up with people and fast! Want more empty space and freedom to travel it? Do what you can to reverse the out of control population numbers coming our way. Whew! Have I vented enough?


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