[Randito]

[The Angry Hiker]

This is why I get irritated whenever people say "We need to encourage more people to get outdoors and enjoy our beautiful trails!" No we don't. The trails are crowded enough as it is with imbeciles who can't even figure out how to poop in the woods without strewing it everywhere. Only a total lunatic would demand even more of it.

[Randito]

[Kat]

They need to hand out a small trowel with every permit, and before you get the permit be forced to listen to a short lecture on pooping. My 2 cents!

[seattlenativemike]

[Dect6]

This all happened when the Californians moved up here!!

[tinytowers]

"Go to the Beartooths in Montana or the Wind River range in Wyoming. Each are: Very similar in appearance to the Enchantments. The areas are mucho larger than the Enchantments. You can definitely find your own lake. There is NEVER a permit. Beartooths: http://www.hillmap.com/m/ag1zfmhpbGxtYXAtaGRychULEghTYXZlZE1hcBiAgIDgiIaFCww[/" Or the Selkirks or Cabinets. I was up in the cabinets last week to summit Engle Peak. Didnt see a single foot print in the small snow patches on the way up. The Cascades are a bit over rated. I remember hearing commercial airliners fly over me all night last year on the PCT near Stevens.

[Scramblin_james]

I poop in the woods. I bury my poop. You will never see it. Not that this is any of your business. Other people poop in the woods too. I think more people should connect with nature, going on a hike or into a national or state park is not the same as connecting with nature. Going into nature and not being conscious of where you are is worse than staying in the city. Please love mother nature.

[Randito]

[crazyhiker]

Sadly, there's not a lot that can be done about this stuff aside from reducing the # of them. People suck. I live in a condo in Seattle and the other residents will bring their garbage/recycle down and just leave it in the garage. It takes about 20 extra seconds to walk it over to the garbage room. But nope, that's too much effort. We have a roof deck with a great view and people just leave their garbage everywhere expecting others to clean up after them. This mentality doesn't seem to change in the outdoors. You would think it would, but the majority of people who hike are NOT NWhikers. Hiking/camping to them is a social experience and they bring all of their bad city habits with them. I'm with TAH. Stay home.

[Jake Neiffer]

It's a bummer to hear that is going on. Maybe try at the other end of permit season. I went in late October once and it was pretty sparse. Crowds seem to thin out with overnight lows in the teens.

[Lono]

They are coming because no permits are required before permit season - the attraction is to camping in the Enchantments without permits. I doubt they expected 400 other people to have the same idea and together they pounded the Enchantments. Personally I haven't been up there since 1973 when we saw the impact that people were having on the area. If you are concerned about the Enchantments now I recommend rethinking bombing the place prior to the permit season. Its now such a hot place to camp that such intensive attention by hundreds of out of seasons campers can't do it very much good. If you can't think of anywhere else to go in May or June them maybe NWH can compile a thinking list of alternatives.

[Hutch]

[crazyhiker]

[Randito]

This year's pre-season was unusually crowded due the early snow melt. I had core zone for mid-july in 2011 (A very snowy year) and it was hard to find any bare ground. As a skier I certainly hope that in years to come the pre-season will much more snow covered than this year.