Quote:
Originally Posted by chrisncate
They only need the will to do so, and there is something to be said for the fact that maybe it is actually a good thing that the interest is not there in outdoors stuff, for the kids coming up right now.
I have noticed the lineup (surfing lingo for where surfer sit waiting for waves) is emptier now than it was in the 80's and 90's (where I surf anyway)..
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It's also the hassles and expenses.
As an example I rented a double kayak to go camping on a place I remembered visiting as a kid. I wanted to go back to that island with my girlfriend at the time. 75$/day for the kayak, then all the parking anywhere it was possible to launch from was either no more than 1 hr parking or expensive per day parking to make a bit for the city off those freeloading un-powered boat users(no ramp fees if you launch a kayak on a beach). 10$/day for the parking.
We paid and thought at least the camping on the beach will be good, we brought a small ultralight tarp and no tent.
after a good 8 hr paddle we arrived where we planned to stay only to get chased off for trying to sleep on the beach with our kayak and a small tarp.
The big power boats would come right up close to the shore and BBQ next to us, drink and blast their stereos with the generators running, anchoring to shore and going back and forth to the beach in powered tenders.
We were ordered to move to a campsite, where you must stay within 7'x7' squares made out of 4"x4" boards, in the middle of a field, no shade, and no ocean with neighbors a couple feet away.
For 30$/day(15$ each)
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Add in gas to get to the launch point, and we're talking over 300$ for a 2 day trip, in a plastic kayak.
Of course we just moved a bit down the beach, buried the kayak and stealth camped but I wasn't pleased.
The surf areas are getting that way too, we tried to camp near one of those as well, paid camping, paid parking.
The only free camping left was to drive to some logging roads about 45 min away, out past the landfill for the town.
Still worse are the no access at all areas, and there are more of them all the time. It was one of the things my girlfriend disagreed with the most strongly, the organization she worked for created a lot of these areas, and as a biologist she felt it was unjustified, and forcing people to spend less and less time outdoors for no benefit other than appeasing the environmental nuts.
Day use, close to town is the way that almost everything is being driven, even for those who do want to do outdoors stuff still, just because it is slightly more affordable. The gear stores see this, expedition style gear is going away, in favor of lightweight inexpensive day packs, and rack after rack of "outdoor style" clothing.
Those lessons, like from the powerboats and the way I see things moving for more regulation, and squeezing every possible angle for generating revenue off anyone who wants to go outdoors also influenced my decision to buy a boat I could live on, if I'm not on land it's harder for them to tell me I can't be there.
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