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WendyArmbuster t1_izpi8rv wrote

Reply to comment by mikefrizz in Federal judge convicts man accused of leading hikes without permits in Buffalo National River by Pretending2beme

It should be difficult to get a guide permit. It took me three separate trips to find that trail, as it was less known and there was no signage back then. Now if you go, there's tons of people on that trail, and people like this guy are a big part of the reason why.

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[deleted] t1_izv49t7 wrote

[deleted]

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WendyArmbuster t1_izvgjw1 wrote

Yeah, I thought about that as I typed it, and it felt like gatekeeping even as I said it, but at the same time, it's nice to have to work for something. That particular trail is not an official trail, it's not maintained by the park service, it deliberately didn't have signs directing people to it, and that's why it took so long to find it. They don't really encourage people to hike there.

I've got a ton of other places that are amazing that I know about just by wondering around the woods in the Buffalo River park, and it's nice that they are not overrun by "guides" bringing people to them.

There was a big push to dam the Buffalo at one point, and turn it into a recreational lake like Table Rock. It would absolutely be getting more use that way, but I would argue that use isn't the most important thing about public lands.

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