Comment from Wentworth, Todd
Todd WentworthOpposeIndividual
Summary: The commenter, a former Wilderness Ranger and Hot Shot, opposes the use of fixed permanent anchors in wilderness areas. They argue that wilderness climbing should remain "wild" and that climbers should not leave any permanent aids behind, consistent with their interpretation of the Wilderness Act.
I do NOT support fixed permanent anchors in the Wilderness. I am a mountain climber and was alerted to this Public Comment period by The Mountaineers. However I do NOT support The Mountaineers position or the Access Fund position. I was also a Wilderness Ranger collecting human impact data, and I was a USFS Hot Shot who used low impact techniques in the Wilderness. From my experience and interpretation of the Wilderness Act, I believe climbers should not leave anything in the Wilderness. Wilderness climbing should be wild and not rely on permanently placed aids.