Illegal Cabin

Submitted by Doug Chabot on Mon, 12/19/2005 - 20:17
Some MSU students built a cabin in the woods off the Grotto Creek trail for use this winter. It was a costruction project--windows, metal roof, wood stove, etc. They got busted last week by the USFS Law enforcement. This is bad news and a black eye for the ice climbing community, especially during the sensitive travel plan process. We've been going out of our way to explain the special nature of Hyalite and how we all treasure this rare resource--climable ice! While the FS realizes that this was done by a few rogue individuals, it still hampers our efforts to be seen as responsible recreationists. Let's keep our scene tight! Be respectful to the land, each other and all users. Let's not give the FS any more reasons to view climbers with suspicion. The following paragraph was from an email forwarded to me. The names and source are anonymous, but they still convey the seriousness of the situation. "XX and I caught 5 individuals in this cabin early Sunday morning, the same cabin that YY reported finding this summer. The cabin had more improvements to it (i.e. insulation, caulking, etc.). We can't say too much more about it at this point other than two of them will be going before the U.S. Magistrate in Missoula this coming Thursday. We are presently dealing w/ the U.S. Attorney's Office on the case. Two others in the group were fined for marijuana possession. All five of them were ice climbers." On a separate note, there were two climbers missing on Saturday eve and Gallatin County SAR got called out. While 7 folks wandered around Hyalite drainage all night at -25F looking for them, they were cozy in the cabin. I can't blame them really. They were late getting down, there were no more cars, it was cold and their ride left prematurely to sound the "missing climbers" alarm. Let's take care of ourselves out there. It's a small world and we all need a hand sometimes. [img]http://montanaice.com/forums/user_images/HyaliteCabin.jpg[/img]

I also agree and condemn the illegal and irresponsible actions of those who built the cabin. However, I feel like I need to make this point. Yes they were stupid college kids. But, there are a lot of college students who use Hyalite for recreation whether it be climbing, skiing, or fishing and not everyone of these students have built illegal cabins, or called out unnecessary SARs. As the older climbers of Hyalite get together to show not all Ice Climbers are the same, please don?t then turn around and judge all of us MSU students as the same. In the end we all get stuck on the side of the road, and we?ve all pulled each other out. Keese Lane MSU Student 994 3914

[quote]As the older climbers of Hyalite get together to show not all Ice Climbers are the same, please don?t then turn around and judge all of us MSU students as the same. [/quote] I don't think this thread is lambasting college students or younger climbers in particular simply because they're young; you have to understand that those of us who have been here for awhile are more aware of the heritage of Hyalite and the Gallatin Valley, as well as the struggles that have gone on that afford us the access that exists today. Those new to the area, such as MSU students, may not be aware of that, and that's just a by-product of youth! As one of the previous posts pointed out, college students can come here for a few years and then leave, and they may never know the consequences of "youthful indiscretions." I think the folks in this forum are vocalizing their feelings to make others aware of this, and in an indirect way, they're mentoring those who may not have thought their actions through, and the consequences that come of them. Someone said that good judgment comes from bad experience, and bad experience comes from poor judgment; we want to nip the "bad experience" before it nips us all. Sean Austin 587 2164

The incident with the cabin is definitely a blow to the climbing community, but the authorities and other mitigating parties will resolve the issue. The incident could be looked at negatively as some have posted, but it can also be viewed as a positive. The overwhelming response from fellow climbers have exhaustively tried to define who we are, it?s nice to see a rallying of solidarity. Unfortunately there will always be a small minority over stepping their bounds. I suppose the biggest lesson here is simply being reminded that we need to be better stewards, and teachers. I'm sure there were some who just looked askance and shook their head as the structure was being built. Any way, we know the problem, lets move to the solution! Climbers are very creative problem solvers, and we will surely find creative solutions to the current situation. This is resolutely what we do. To me climbing is bigger than this cabin. A good friend had some ideas; perhaps the logs can be recycled and donated to a youth camp, or returned to the forest for future trees. So now... that I'm in Whitefish, and I'm looking to find out what the conditions are in Hyalite, and can't seem to find a current post of said conditions! How is the road? Any new climbs? What shape is the ice in??? Willing to pitch in too... daver 209-1668
Spray