There are a lot of cattle on the CDT and a lot of ranchers.
It is why there is any water at all on many stretches.
Ranchers make the hike possible.
One thing it is easy to forget when talking about ranchers is that many ranchers go back to before the land their family leases was part of the United States. Many had Spanish land grants or other claims to the land.
The land becoming property of the United States and leased back to them was a compromise and included promises of specific services for the money.
The BLM generally is believed to not live up to all the promises. The details are complicated.
Without understanding this part of the background it is easy to wonder just what ranchers are doing on the land, why the Forest Service is part of the Department of Agriculture, or why the leases are at “less than market rates.”
It also colors developers attempting to get land transferred to the states from the federal government so that they can force the ranchers off the land and into their pockets.
The politics are messy and complex and I’m not the one to address the nuances. Or even address the full scope of issues. I just know enough to know that there are many issues that are just not generally mentioned when the land and the cattle are discussed.
And I am also glad for all the water. I’m grateful for the ranchers being willing and able to share the water with hikers.
Now for some mild humor.
This graphic is from a friend who has done a lot of hiking and is amused by hike announcement videos followed by gear list videos.
Those always start up about this time of year from people planning to start hiking in April or so.
Note: gear lists are popular, which is why people do them. They are also useful as gear preferences by trail vary a lot and are often reflective of trends and fads.