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Sunday |
| Haleakala
Crater is one
of the quietest places on Earth, a scooped-out
bowl atop a 10,000 foot volcano in the middle of the
ocean. It looks rugged but it's also fragile. It's a
national
park and there are frequent reminders that
bear the force of federal law: STAY ON TRAIL. It's
really not too much to ask and it makes sense.
Impacts to the landscape can remain in evidence for
years, spoiling the pristine environment for future
visitors as well as causing irrevocable damage to
the unique ecosystem. So when we saw two men and a
woman intentionally going off-trail I felt compelled
to give them a fingerwag from a distance. I don't
like being a scold but there was no excuse for what
they were doing. They saw me and got back on trail.
They doubled back towards us and as we crossed paths
I said in as friendly a way as possible, "I know
it's tempting but you really shouldn't go
off-trail." The two guys smiled sheepishly as they
passed but the woman spat, "What are you--some kind
of guardian?" I replied, "Yeah, sort of." I
intervened just as I would any time I see someone being victimized.
Boy, was she pissed and hissed, "You don't own it!"
But what she really meant was she thought she did. |
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