It only takes one to wreck it for everyone.‏

[billharr]

Need to Rant.

I have been camping with the Stockton Motorcycle Club at Duck Creek on Slick Rock Road since 1965. Way back then the PG&E maintained the road to get to Spicer Reservoir. Still a 4 wheel drive road and a few rough spots. When Spicer was raised a new road was cut from Hwy 4 to Spicer. Slick Rock road became rougher; was a ORV trail and terminated past Utica Union Lakes at the new road. 1984 the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness was designated. In a few more years the new road to Spicer was paved. Now we have all the full size RV's driving back to a parking lot campground at Spicer. They get out and walk a trail and think they are in the wilderness. So many people are coming that a few years ago the dispersed camping around Utica and Union Lakes are posted day use only! and campgrounds were installed. A sign saying 15 minutes parking to load and unload kayaks is not progress. In a few years I expect pavement will be installed to Utica Union Lakes.

Slick Rock road now terminates at the large open granite space north of Utica. Signs have been put up saying the road is not maintained. The sign also says street legal vehicles only no ORV's. Last weekend we found a large bolder (4'x6x4') had been place in the middle of the road before you could reach the bridge at Duck Creek. Probably done by just one Rock Crawler who want to restrict the trail to Crawlers and short jeeps. We camped at the access road to the dam put in to take water from Duck Creek to Spicer. I talked to one of the crawlers who was unloading. I asked him to talked to any crawlers he knew, about the bolder put in the trail. I told him actions like that will wreck the trail for everyone. He told me it keeps scum bags like me out! then he said get the F*** out of here old man.

The next day I talked to a ranger who came by and asked us to move our outhouse off the access road. I told him there was 15 feet wide open and if a large piece of equipment needed to get by we could move in less than 2 minutes. He agreed and then I told him what I thought about the bolder in the road. Must have done a good job as we had a LEO ranger come by with in the hour. Had a nice conversation with her, explained I was retired; former a Director on the local Chamber of Commerce and knew how the government worked. Told her I would be contacting the District Ranger. Just as I told her we were a responsible group that even trailered in an outhouse so 10 guys would not be shitting in the woods. Then we heard trucks coming from the other side of the gate. I told her they had to cross the river to get there. She said they had to leave the marked trail and excused herself to talk with them. They asked her if she could open the gate! She was nice and sent them back the way they came and did not write them up. We looked like angles after her conversation with the jeepers.

Guess there are just too many people, rant over now back to writing letters.

The bolder in the trail.

Picture does not do a good job showing how big this rock is. About 3' on the face.

 

[DesertDave]

I first 'discovered' Utica in the late 90's. When I visited the area last year, after a long absence, I was somewhat dismayed by the changes you mention, and how incredibly crowded the entire area is. It was not as I remembered, or expected it to be.

Places I used to disperse camp are now developed campgrounds with less nature and more cost and population. It is getting harder to
really get away from people. I hate having to use ear plugs in order to fall asleep.

 

[ski3pin]

I first 'discovered' Utica in the late 90's. When I visited the area last year, after a long absence, I was somewhat dismayed by the changes you mention, and how incredibly crowded the entire area is. It was not as I remembered, or expected it to be.

Places I used to disperse camp are now developed campgrounds with less nature and more cost and population. It is getting harder to
really get away from people. I hate having to use ear plugs in order to fall asleep.

I suggest not blaming improvements/changes that are meant to limit impact and protect our ever dwindling outdoor resources. Hard to justify anything else with continued skyrocketing population growth - with a larger percentage the type Bill describes. It is way past time to look at where the real problem lies. And, most likely way too late.

 

[craig333]

Very sad they felt the need to be rude about and not just engage in a discussion. They look to be in a club or just solo?

 

[billharr]

I suggest not blaming improvements/changes that are meant to limit impact and protect our ever dwindling outdoor resources. Hard to justify anything else with continued skyrocketing population growth - with a larger percentage the type Bill describes. It is way past time to look at where the real problem lies. And, most likely way too late.

I do not consider the paved road to Spicer an improvement. I just wish we could keep something between pavement and wilderness.

Very sad they felt the need to be rude about and not just engage in a discussion. They look to be in a club or just solo?

I do not think any organized club did this. The Joaquin Jeepers have maintained Slick Rock road for years. Without their work Slick Rock would have been gone long ago.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Without getting too opinionated,I think the forest service needs a good shout out here.
I like Bill have visited and used some of the same area.
I don't off-road through Slick Rock,though.
The areas around the lakes,Union and Utica, have been abused there were a lot of people just camping everywhere
with no thought for how they were damaging the place.
IMO the forest dept. had to go in and establish the "nice" camping areas that are there now.
It has given more control to how the area is treated.We have camped there many times and really enjoy the paved road for most
the way.
Also It seemed that the people who abused it the most were the locals.

I find it a "good" improvement.
Frank

 

[huskyrunnr]

I talked to one of the crawlers who was unloading. I asked him to talked to any crawlers he knew, about the bolder put in the trail. I told him actions like that will wreck the trail for everyone. He told me it keeps scum bags like me out! then he said get the F*** out of here old man.

LOL! Not a very smart thing to say to some anonymous person as you're just about to leave a rig behind at the trailhead! He might come back to find it "altered" in some way.

 

[billharr]

Without getting too opinionated,I think the forest service needs a good shout out here.
I like Bill have visited and used some of the same area.
I don't off-road through Slick Rock,though.
The areas around the lakes,Union and Utica, have been abused there were a lot of people just camping everywhere
with no thought for how they were damaging the place.
IMO the forest dept. had to go in and establish the "nice" camping areas that are there now.
It has given more control to how the area is treated.We have camped there many times and really enjoy the paved road for most
the way.
Also It seemed that the people who abused it the most were the locals.

I find it a "good" improvement.
Frank

I still feel the "improvement" was only needed because of the road to Spicer being paved. 10 miles of rough road would have limited the camping without the improvement. Next improvement will be pavement to Utica. Followed by reserved camping because too many people are coming up to camp.

 

[ski3pin]

..................................................because too many people are coming up to camp.

I agree Bill. It is my view the "too many people" brought the paved road, the opposite of your view that the paved road brought the people. One thing to consider here is that these are PG&E reservoirs and the impacts they create (drawing in more people) and how to deal with them are covered under their FERC operating permit. I'll bet you'll find that paving the roads in, at some future date, was already part of the FERC license.

On the other issue, blocking the road with a boulder, is commonplace, claiming territory as theirs and only for those who are worthy. They deserve most of the adjectives we can come up with to describe them.

 

[highz]

I feel Bill's pain, and agree that the changes we are seeing (more pavement and established campgrounds) are due to population pressure. The US population has doubled since I was born, and California has had more than their share of that growth. Even here in relatively sparsely populated New Mexico I have seen increased abuse of the land - even in the short 16 years I have been here. I'm afraid recreational management is now a necessity.

The Lincoln National Forest is undergoing its fifteen year planning revision and I will be actively involved. I urge all Wanderers to make their voices heard during similar planning in your favorite places. Here, at least, there is a sincere desire to have the public actively involved.

 

[CamperCarl]

While I am not familiar with the particular area you describe, I have run into many "Day Use Only" signs where dispersed camping used to be . I dug a little deeper and found out it is because the USFS and BLM and the parks are privatizing the campgrounds and in order for the "concessionaires" to make a healthy profit the government is driving , forcing, campers into the fee campsites.

Also, as we all know the government likes to have us all crammed together because it makes "crowd control" easier. I have written to several District Rangers and USFS & BLM Supervisors to complain about squeezing campers for every nickle and wrecking the chance to get a distance from other campers.

The response so far has been to claim the forest fires make cramming necessary. But I think it makes more sense all around to keep the private concessionaires out and use their profits to hire more assistant rangers to police the dispersed campers and cite anyone who has an unsafe fire .