Climbers should carry locators

The $10,000 deposit required to climb Mount McKinley is an insult to taxpayers. Each year the search and rescue budget gets busted by one long or intensive search. So the public picks up the rest of the cost one way or another.

If I am going to pay one nickel for someone to risk their life on a mountain, I must protest. Mandatory use of the Spot Locator worked very well on the Iditarod Trail. So instead of weighing me down with the costly search and rescue, isn't it time taxpayers demand each climber carry one of these small lifesaving locators? I know they are heavy and will add tremendously to your load, but it is your load.

Maybe a little public input would help the National Parks within our great state better use the money squeezed from the public dole. As funding dries up, administrators should be searching for other ways save. I would hope for more public input, and thanks for the great job our local and State Parks department have been getting done in this fiscally challenging time. The services provided have been a tremendous boon to all Alaskans and truly enrich our lives and enjoyment of the Great Land, so thanks.

I know it was only a nickel, and I shouldn't be so frugal, but I thought if we watched the pennies and nickels, the real bucks would be safe. So please watch your pennies and nickels, the rest of us are.

Dennis Barnard

Kenai