“Ruth International Airport” is a destination for climbers and tourists alike in the Alaska Range. (Photo by Gary Fallesen)
Caring for People and Places
Access vs. Overuse
By Gary Fallesen
On the third day, the Maker of heaven and earth separated the water and made dry ground appear. “God called the dry ground 'land'...” (Genesis 1:10). This land included the mountains that He formed; mountains over which He made us stewards.
“The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it,” it says in Psalm 24:1. We should think of this as we read stories such as the one in The American Alpine News (Volume 11, Number 245, Spring 2004) about the American Alpine Club’s advocacy efforts resulting in changes to the proposed Denali National Park Backcountry Management Plan that “should help preserve the climbing experience in much of the park’s south side and retain the area’s primitive qualities by limiting degradation due to noise impacts from scenic flights and other powered intrusions.” The Backcountry Management Plan seeks to establish management areas and restrict visitation to remote parts of Alaska’s Denali National Park to preserve solitude.
Sitting in my Base Camp on the Ruth Glacier in Denali National Park in May 2004, there were at times as many as four bush planes parked on the makeshift airstrip nearby. When the weather is clear, you will hear the buzz of a plane overhead, watch it circle and land. Then see, repeatedly, several tourists hop out, throw a couple of snowballs, pose for a few photographs, load back on the plane and fly away. The American Alpine News states: “Scenic flight glacier landings in the Ruth Gorge increased from 220 landings in 1991 to 1,800 landings in 2001, an increase of more than 700 percent.” There is concern about "noise intrusions" for those seeking a backcountry experience.
Having endured a Base Camp of approximately 75 tents on the non-tourist side of Aconcagua a few years ago in Argentina, I am one of those who cherishes the solitude of His mountains. Like Jesus, who often went to the hills to get away from the crowds and seek time alone with the Father, I relish my quiet moments with the Creator. Sightseeing flights do have a way of spoiling one’s solitude. But who am I to refuse a person – who can’t or chooses not to climb – the opportunity to stand on a glacier?
Such debate within the climbing community calls for our voices to be heard. We also should be involved in access debates such as the potential closure of the Cordillera Blanca range in Peru within three years. The American Alpine News (Volume 11, Number 244, Winter 2004) says “it appears most mountains will be closed to climbing, with only 60 routes on 40 peaks set to remain open.” This is a range with more than 500 peaks, including 27 above 6,000 meters and hundreds above 5,000 meters.
Keeping ranges, parks, and climbing areas open should not be left only to secular organizations such as The American Alpine Club and the Access Fund – as good a job as these groups do. Climbing For Christ needs to be involved in protecting and preserving what we have been blessed with by the Creator. We also should be at the forefront of cleaning up and promoting the proper care-taking of His creation.
If this ministry is of particular interest to you or you would like to comment on access in Denali National Park, Peru’s Cordillera Blanca or any other threatened area, e-mail jdoenges@ClimbingForChrist.org. |