RedLeg wrote: Thu Mar 13, 2025 5:06 pm
Yes but No. That's a miserable excuse because this started WELL before the new administration. NPS should have been in front of this the beginning of last season in May when the problem was identified.
New food storage rules should have been ironed out and published before last seasons close.
Thirty days out is just a compounded failure
I am not concerned. How much advance notice do we need?
Well that's a good question... Park opens in like 27 days, one would like to think they would be in front of that date just a bit more than they are. I'm like 52 days out until boots on ground with our group and I'm the only one with a ursack. I know there are boaters who are planning for April pre-season camping too.
So what is "appropriate" lead time for the sixty some people on first boat out of Grand Portage who potentially all need to purchase storage now? It's not "fifty days or less",
We will see far bigger disruptions this year at the park, I expect, due to budget and personnel cuts. We will all need to be flexible and adaptable to surprises. Frankly, whether i need an Ursak or not, and whether i know the answer now or a few weeks before my trip, is the least of my concerns. I suspect the NPS staff is overwhelmed with their own uncertain futures.
Park disruptions will impact lots of people, however as long as the boat drops is at the dock, it's highly unlikely it will bother us. I already own an ursack and it wouldn't bother me to drop the $$$ on one on short notice if I didn't. That however isn't the reality for a high percentage of folks traveling to the island in May. That $100 could make or break the trip for a lot of hikers this year or cause them to choose another location.
The reality is life isn't fair but they should have this ironed out last year. It's not rocket science to take a pre existing policy and modify it to your own. The current administration can suck my nutt sack but blaming this situation on political turmoil simply isn't fair.
At the end of the day you have to look in the mirror and ask yourself if you are representational of the average hiker the island sees throughout the season. I'd venture to say most of the regulars here are not the "average or mean" hikers. I however could be far off in that assessment.
I hope those that get to ISRO NP, in the early months of this season, will post the effects of the impact on our special park from what is happening in the DC. I'm also worried about the campgrounds in our National Forests and the Corp. of Engineer sites.
