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I finally hiked the whole Lost Coast Trail and the permit system is a total mess.
Spent five days out there last month and saw at least three groups without permits camping in the restricted zones. The ranger station in Shelter Cove said they only have one person checking a 25-mile stretch, so of course people just roll the dice. We paid our $30 per person months in advance and watched others skip the line. Isn't the whole point to protect the area from overuse? How are other long trails handling this better?
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paulschmidt2d ago
Didn't the permit system used to work? Seeing that happen would totally change my mind.
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evan_campbell1d ago
You said seeing it happen would change your mind, and that's exactly the point. We hear about these systems working in theory, but then you watch them play out in real life. It stops being about order and just becomes a tool to keep things the same, to block new people from even trying. Once you see those empty spots and the crazy hoops people have to jump through, you can't unsee it. Makes you wonder how many good ideas we never even get to see because of all the red tape.
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jennyh412d ago
Used to agree with you @paulschmidt, thought permits kept things orderly. Then my city tried it for downtown food trucks. The paperwork took months, costs were crazy high, and half the spots stayed empty. It just protected the old brick and mortar places from any new competition. Watching that mess unfold completely flipped my view on the whole system.
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