Just another rule atop the growing stack of existing rules to burden hikers and...NF staff. I spoke with a local ranger this morning and he was as surprised as the rest of us.
Who would "police" this rule to ensure enforcement? Wilderness rangers are few and far between. When was the last time any of us saw a wilderness ranger? Imagine a ranger at each trail-head checking permits and time-stamping them to make sure nobody is cheating...24 hours a day? Impossible.
We see a lot of thru-hikers in Bishop, but that's fine with the locals. Good for local business, and hikers don't create problems here. A lot of hikers ignore the rules anyway. So what?
This rule was probably dreamed up by some desk-jockey NF staffer in Washington, D.C. with too much time on their hands.
