Pull the Plug! The baby is dead.
The State of California came back this morning to say that, if Mountain Education wants to continue to work within the State Park in the process of providing free public safety clinics, they will have to apply to do so as a Park “Concessionaire.”
– This process will take a long time, according to the Park employee that we’ve been speaking to, so all of these innocent Snow Basics Clinics are off the table for this year.
– This process will cost more out of the pocket of this charity and we simply can’t justify going down this road. This altruistic idea, though wonderful for the safety of the hiking community, has been a huge expense already.
– We will not move the location of these clinics to another site because all other places with snow are under government administration like this and any other site will not benefit the NoBo PCT hikers before they hit steep snow and ice just south of San Jacinto.
Let it be known that we tried to point out to the State that by teaching the public how to be safe moving over snow on the lands they administer would lower their liabilities and taxpayer expense, but they weren’t interested in public safety, even if it cost the State nothing to provide it.
We are exhausted. Pull the plug. This infant idea is dead.