After our initial contact, he let his clients know that I was wrong for selecting “an outfitter site for just myself.” I will never know why he thought he had any reasonable expectation to have this site available for his clients, wilderness travel comes with unpredictable outcomes, disbursed camping is well recognized among most users. In the spirit of compromise, I did offer to squeeze his group into this site. He gave no response to this offer.

Later in the evening, he returned and proceeded to put on an outrageous, ridiculous tirade including several minutes of pure profanity. This second contact was so off-center, I had no way to respond but stay calm.

Two Florida visitors camped across the meadow had to endure this person’s irrational show. I am sure they enjoyed their first day in the Colorado high country, until this unprofessional employee decided to have a major meltdown.

In my near 50 years of enjoying wild and scenic public lands, I have never met anyone so unfriendly, unprofessional and uninformed. I can’t help but wonder what would happen if a real emergent situation were to happen, who wasn’t even man enough to tell me the company he was working for.

We all have a right to enjoy our wilderness areas. There is no room for commercial ventures that show absolutely no respect for other users.

Douglas Buttery

Grand Lake