[Dante]

Yea, on my recent trip to Peggy's Pond, Circle, Venus, Spade, Waptus and return to the car via the Trail Creek horse trail I wondered about the health effects of breathing the horse crap dust we kicked up. Yuck

[Backpacker Joe]

There R no answers for questions such as these! Not that would please you anyway! TB YUCK!

[Dslayer]

You guys are kidding right? Just trying to see if those among us with the slightly redder necks are paying attention? We are talking about chewed up grass.

[MtnGoat]

yea, no big deal here. I have more issues with humans, who *can* dig holes of their own initiative, who do not do so. A horse turd don' befun me none. Not worth worrying about IMO.

[MCaver]

Dog owners are required to clean up after their dogs on the trail? That's a new one on me. I've never seen anyone doing that. I just wish they pick up their own trash. I'm sick of picking up other peoples' powerbar wrappers.

[Dante]

Not to mention those #$%*&! children! My partners and I must have picked up the remains of half a dozen baloons on my last two trips. Kidding! I'm not really concerned about the "health effects" of breathing horse crap dust, either. I suspect the fumes from my Esbit wing stove are much worse for me.

[Tom]

I have to admit the cord on those ballons makes for some great makeshift clothesline in a pinch.

[Stefan]

sorry about the horse do-do. But the one rule that irks me is this: Horses and their crap are allowed in Mt. Rainier BUT DOGS ARE NOT ALLOWED!

[MtnGoat]

people and their crap are allowed in mt Rainier as well. Why not dogs too?

[Dante]

People poop stinks WAY worse than horse crap. Peeeee Ewwww People also carry people-borne diseases. I would think it poses a greater threat to people than horse poop. BTW I'm not a big fan of horses (or dogs) on the trail, but it takes a broad coalition to preserve land for non-commercial uses and wilderness.

[salish]

"Not to mention those #$%*&! children! My partners and I must have picked up the remains of half a dozen baloons on my last two trips." Those were not balloons......

[Dante]

Ewwwww They were not what I think you are suggesting they were . . . at least I've never seen anyone tie several feet of ribbon around the bottom of one of those and you certainly wouldn't want it tied so tightly

[polarbear]

I don't have a problem with dodging horse piles. I don't like stepping in dog piles. It's ten times worse and you can't just walk faster and leave the smell behind. It's even worse if you step in it unknowingly and then hop the bus for downtown. Pretty soon people are turning around in their seats and staring at you. Maybe if they didn't eat dog food it wouldn't be as bad. I'm glad my diet is not a science one . I think the horse people recently did alot of maintenance on the trail up to Squaw Lake. The last time I was on it it looked alot better. Owning a horse or mule would be nice at times. It's a great way to travel.

[Rich Baldwin]

I suspect dog bans in the national parks have much more to do with their agressive predatory behavior scaring the local varmits than with any fecal problems. Horse feces is far less unpleasant than dog feces. I don't find it particularly troublesome, though my five-year-old does (his nose is a lot closer to the ground). Hikers have enough problems fighting for trail resources against the motorized lobby. I don't think we need to pick fights with the equestrians. The ones I have encountered seem polite, and I haven't noticed them tossing beer cans around or blasting signs and trees with guns. These problems seem to by worst where the motorized community visits.

[Brian Curtis]

I guess nobody here hikes much in horse country. I can't tell you how many times I have gone to set out my tent in a beautiful Rocky Mtn meadow only to find that there isn't a single tent sized spot that isn't covered in horse droppings. Then the trees have roots that are exposed from horse erosion. Some have been killed because they have been girdled by the horses and their lines. Trails are eroded down to a foot or two deep for miles on end. Whole camp areas smell like a barnyard. Sensitive lake shore meadows and spring are all torn up and covered in horse crap. I don't like horses. All that being said, horses have been used in these wilderness area for decades and there is absolutely no question that I am seeing much more responsible horse management by packers in recent years as they try to minimize their impacts. The Backcountry Horsemen, based on the east side of the Cascades, is an excellent organization that is working to educate horse users and doing a lot of wilderness volunteer work. I dislike horses, but horse packers are legitimate fellow wilderness users and good wilderness advocates.