mikefrizz t1_izp7qcp wrote on December 10, 2022 at 8:27 PM

From what I’ve read, it’s extremely difficult to get a guide permit on federal land. If this guy is on his own and taking six people, I can see why he never bothered.

WendyArmbuster t1_izpi8rv wrote on December 10, 2022 at 9:38 PM

It should be difficult to get a guide permit. It took me three separate trips to find that trail, as it was less known and there was no signage back then. Now if you go, there's tons of people on that trail, and people like this guy are a big part of the reason why.

[deleted] t1_izv49t7 wrote on December 12, 2022 at 1:52 AM

[deleted]

WendyArmbuster t1_izvgjw1 wrote on December 12, 2022 at 3:29 AM

Yeah, I thought about that as I typed it, and it felt like gatekeeping even as I said it, but at the same time, it's nice to have to work for something. That particular trail is not an official trail, it's not maintained by the park service, it deliberately didn't have signs directing people to it, and that's why it took so long to find it. They don't really encourage people to hike there.

I've got a ton of other places that are amazing that I know about just by wondering around the woods in the Buffalo River park, and it's nice that they are not overrun by "guides" bringing people to them.

There was a big push to dam the Buffalo at one point, and turn it into a recreational lake like Table Rock. It would absolutely be getting more use that way, but I would argue that use isn't the most important thing about public lands.