Comment from Sun, Chris

This is climbing, not a commercially zoned downtown area that must be tightly regulated for traffic ergonomics, crime, and aesthetics. It should be as easy to fix a washed-out trail or downed tree blocking a hiking path as it is to replace an old dangerous bolt or an old anchor. After all, climbing is like vertical hiking, and everyone hikes in the outdoors. Fixed anchors save lives. If it only cost $20 (the price of replacing a fixed anchor) to save a life, wouldn't we all do it? That's much cheaper than helicopter evacuations by Search and Rescue. This kind of work is usually done by volunteers from the climbing community, and in thanks for their vigilance and hard work we should make it as easy as possible for them to keep us all safe. I support the recognition that climbing is an appropriate Wilderness activity and that fixed anchors, critical pieces of the climbing safety system, are allowable in Wilderness. I also support provisions to allow climbers to place or replace fixed anchors without authorization in the event of an emergency. I appreciate that the policy protects existing climbing routes that were developed before the PARC Act was passed into law. Legacy Wilderness climbs should remain available in order to preserve America’s rich climbing legacy. Please improve policies to expedite timely replacement of fixed anchors in order to avoid unnecessary barriers to climber safety. The authorization process for new climbing routes that require fixed anchors should be easier to navigate. Please provide a clear path for programmatic authorization, or preauthorization, at climbing areas that do not necessitate case-by-case special use permits.