Logging

My wife and I went to ride something different this past weekend. It was supposed to be a long out and back singletrack ride, but as we approached the 3/4 way up point, the trail vanished into a new clearcut.
I know you're thinking "boo hoo, it happens". That's true. But the trail in question is the nearly 900 mile long Pacific Northwest Trail, designated to become a National Scenic Trail this year. The trail was gone, as if never had even existed.

I'm not sure the span of the trail that was affected, but it must have been a considerable amount, as we could not find any markers pointing toward how we were supposed to continue onward.

I've ridden through clearcuts for over a dozen years, but this one was different. It was fresh, having just taken place less than a week prior to our visit. The trail was gone, a trail that many hours of volunteer efforts had gone into, a place where people go to seek refuge from their stressors, gone. I know it's necessary.

We need to wipe our butts. We need to write stuff. We need to build stuff. It's a natural resource. Renawable? Yes, but to what extent? Do these trees grow back fast enough to keep up with our demands and increasing population? Just something to think about.