This is rediculous....
My Wife and I hiked into Colchuck lake just about a month ago. This is a permit only, super protected, minimum impact allowed area. Just as green, tree hugging, enviro nazi of an area as you could find and here's what we observed:
1. You were supposed to have your permit displayed from your pack or tent yet fully one third of the folks up there did not have a permit displayed.
2. Minimum impact rules are in effect yet all around the lake there are campsites smashed into the earth.
3. The trail it'self is a huge scar leading from the over crowded trailhead parking lot right thru one of the prettiest places on the planet. I can't imagine how long it would take for that trail to dissapear if folks stopped using it today.
4. Lots of folks hiked down "Assgard Pass" and camped on the beach, even thou the ranger asked that they didn't, then they proceeded to wash clothes right in the lake and even worse they would just kick a hole in the beach take a squat and then kick a little sand/dirt over the pile they just made and walk away. Keep in mind that this is the source for Leavenworth's water.
5. I can't say I saw much trash laying around or being discarded, but then again as hard as I looked around I didn't see one single snowmobile track up a pine tree either !
I don't know why people are the way they are. Seems once they form a group they just have to go find some other group to kick the crap out of. It also seems that the collective vision of a group is way less than an individual. Instead of the collective being smarter it just reflects the loudest most passionate within it'self.
Anyway, a trip up thru the Enchantments would provide tons of photo's of damage caused by hikers and not one shred of evidence against moto's.
B