Opposes repeater on Elk

I am writing today to strongly protest the installation of a radio repeater and other equipment on Elk Mountain in Glacier National Park.

As a frequent hiker in Glacier over the past 46 years, I am well-acquainted with the value of the Park’s backcountry as a get-away from the stressors of modern life. A hike to the summit of Elk Mountain with two of my sons several years ago was one of the most cherished events of my life.

The solitude there is profound; along with the spectacular views from the summit, Elk Mountain is one of the best examples of the “care-killing” effects of Glacier, as described so ably in the early days of the park by famed naturalist John Muir. He goes on to explain that time spent in Glacier “will not be taken from the sum of your life. Instead of shortening, it will indefinitely lengthen it.”

This area should never be despoiled by man-made structures of any kind. And I use that word, “despoiled,” intentionally — its meaning being “to steal or violently remove valuable or attractive possessions from; to plunder.”

Please join with me in insisting that the radio repeater and other equipment is NOT installed on Elk Mountain. Technology needs of the Park itself or of visitors to the Park do not justify this intrusion on the wilderness landscape of Elk Mountain.

Elizabeth K. (Betsy) Wood

Kalispell