Response to blog "critical"

I decided to respond to this comment as part of my blog, because this person has an attitude of misunderstanding which needs some clarification. He obviously takes offense at almost everything I write. Here is his synopsis my comments are in bold:

"Fire, snow & flatlanders....

I was in the mountains of Leetiona this weekend and when I got home, I checked your blog to see if there were any updates regarding the fire. I have spoken to others about your blog, and some have expressed their outrage about your comments. I had generally blown those comments off, but after reading the blog comments about the fire, I feel compelled to speak out. Bear in mind that I was in the mountains this weekend, as the fire burned.

You make mention that "The ability of the State to get information to us and volunteers is paramount to a disaster waiting to happen. We can't get local television, nothing is on the radio, the firefighters and the Forest Rangers know nothing and this places much of us and our property in danger." Here are a few key points.

1. The State had people come in from all over to fight the fire. The people stationed at the Mine Hole bridge were from the Pittsburgh area (I stopped to talk to them). So volunteers were contacted and they mobilized quickly. You may want to thank these people instead of ridiculing them. I am thankful to the volunteers, but they were misused by the State and left standing for the most part to do nothing and that comes directly from the firefighters themselves. This is one of the reasons I wrote about the fire.

2. In conversation with the firefighters at Mine Hole, I had asked them about the fire, its size, and it's trajectory. The gentlemen there told me that they would be going up the creek towards Leetonia to inform people there about the fire, if they were in any harm. That hadn't been done at that point......guess why....they were busy fighting and trying to contain a fire. I was very confident with the job these guys were doing. When it was time to go knocking on doors, they would have done so. I talked to the firefighters at Mine Hole Road they didn't know anything and were standing around waiting for instructions"Their Boss" didn't know the woods and was running around lost. Then we I asked them about my safety they made an of the cuff comment that frankly I will not write, since it was very unprofessional.

3. You must remember where you live...you live in the woods just outside of Leetonia. I know exactly where your cabin is; I've been going to that area since I was a kid. You chose to live in a very remote area of Pennsylvania. News and information is not readily available. It is your job to find/seek out the news and take care of yourself. If you want a news station, a town hall, a chief of police, and/or fire chief to inform you of fires, danger, etc., there is a lot of acreage for sale near Coudersport. There you could drive and complain right to the Mayor himself. But since you choose to live in remote Leetonia, you should not complain about communication regarding incidents such as the fire. It is your job to take care of yourself. What is next? Call boxes on every tree along Cedar Mountain Road, in case of emergency???I love people that tell me how I choose to live in Leetonia therefore I do not deserve any services. My grandfather bought this property in the 40's, this is where my heart is. I have always felt like this was my home. It would break my heart to be anywhere else.

4. Forest rangers up there do a good job. I see DCNR driving around up there every weekend. They are the only ones up there driving around and watching after people. They deserve no ridicule. Bear in mind that they are the ones who got all the volunteers up to the mountains. Otherwise, many cabins would have been turned to ash. The Forest Rangers are few and far between and we are treated more like squatters on this land then residents. They do the best they can with little resources.

And that is all I really have to say about the fire. Volunteers came in and did their best. Your complaints about this are really troubling. You should really be thankful, instead of complaining. Those guys from Pittsburgh were volunteers and didn't get paid to be there. And that goes for all of the other volunteers that showed up too. You should really contact DCNR in Wellsboro, find out who volunteered, and send them all a "thank you" instead of bitching. If you read the blog better you would understand that I appreciate the firefighters. I feel they were treated with disrespect by a poorly run fire scene. This doesn't have anything to do with the firefighters but the administration of the fire.

And now for the "snow". Your comments were as follows, regarding plowing of the roads. “For those of you this inconveniences I am sorry, but I could no longer afford the luxury of not working in the winter months. If anyone would like the roads not to be plowed and would like to pay me a salary for not working. I would be more than happy to return them to their natural state."

First of all, this comment is a slap in the face to all those who have snowmobiled in the forest for years and years. I understand that you have to work, but you chose to live in this remote area. Who are you to make those people who have snowmobiled up there for so many years change, just because you decide to move into town? These people had been enjoying the snowmobiling those routes for years, and who are you to keep them from that tradition? In all the years that Glen and Mick had lived up there, did they ever have the road plowed? If you can't get around up there, then maybe you really don't belong up there in the winter. Having the road plowed was a disrespectful act to all those who snowmobile up there. What a slap in the face, that hundreds of people couldn’t use that road in the winter because someone from out of town moved up and can't/won’t adapt to the winter conditions. And to say, “if anyone would like to pay me a salary for not working” is ridiculous and confrontational. This doesn't even deserve comment unless you live up here in the winter.

And finally for the “Flatlanders”. In the Flatlanders versus Ridge Runners blog, someone sent you a photo and asked you to guess which shoes were owned by the “Flatlanders”. While it may have been funny, I was thinking about it. Who truly is the Flatlander up in the hills of Leetonia? It seems to me that the true Flatlanders are those who cannot truly take care of themselves in that wild terrain. In the sincerest definition, it is the Flatlander that would be writing blogs and complaining about communication problems in the mountains, whereas a true mountain person lives in the mountains to get away from the city life, e-mails, fax machines, computers, etc., and accepts the responsibility of taking care of themselves. True mountain people adapt to their wild surroundings. They would not inconvenience others, just to make their lives easier. The Flatlander vs Ridge Runners blog was sent to me by a flatlander as a joke they made those comments not me. Your definition of a mountain person interests me as to its narrowness. Without this blog and my connection to the world very few people would be able to connect to this wilderness from their homes, which is my goal. The forest doesn't really like any inhabitation by me, hunters, snowmobilers or racers. Getting the road plowed gave the ability for emergency service we do not have up here and for another aging mountain man who lives close, came just in time this year. If I did not accept inconvenience and isolation I would not be here...but it isn't my job to make the woods convenient for others to exploit. Let's face it we all have our agenda's mine is keeping the forest a place for the animals and nature and that often conflicts with human fun. I write this blog to keep track of history and events these are my views and it is my right to have them. If you can't follow it don't read it.

Only a Flatlander would move into Leetonia, have the road plowed and disrupt and disrespect snobmobilers, just because they can’t accept the responsibility of getting themselves around in the snow, a responsibility that was accepted when moving into that remote area. Only a Flatlander would complain about the volunteer firemen donating their time to help fight a fire in the Flatlander’s backyard. Are you truly “Mountain Girl”? Perhaps your “handle” should be “Flatlander Resident in Leetonia”. Only Flatlanders would show this kind of disrespect to the land and the generations of people who use, visit, work and volunteer in the forests of northern Pennsylvania.


Signing out……..Mountain Man Mike
It is curious to me that you have resorted to name calling by the end of your response. There are hundreds of campers, past Leetonia residents that appreciate this blog, its information and my occasional rampage of which I have the right to be upset when my life and property are threatened. The road being plowed this year was the first time in 6 years we received any services and it is a small section of the road that is available for snowmobilers. Many people who have camps up here have told me how much they appreciate being able to get to their camp during the winter. Maybe you should just snowmobile somewhere else.

Mountain girl, Paula, Logging out!