I needed an older hippie's opinion on this rather odd matter. I live in Montana, high cliffs, wacky weather and all. I am also a watercolor artist. I recently got an ATV for the purpose of getting around in a particular mountain range, and others besides. The Pryor Mountains is a gorgeous range, and I figured the only way to get around in some of the places to paint was with the beast that is sitting in my garage. I'm wondering now if I may be something of a hypocrite. I'm not a huge fan of emissions and such. I didn't think of it until I saw how much it puts out. It rates a five on a one to ten scale. So it's not great for the environment. Before the question of a bike comes up, I already knew that would be impossible riding a bike up there no matter what the circumstance. It's rocky, it's also about 8,000 feet above sea level. I live at 3,000 feet. So even walking around can get a person winded. My easel weights quite a bit, and every other thing required for being up there...that and the bears... So it comes back to, am I being a nature loving hypocrite?
get in better shape,take bear spray leave the 4 wheeler at home and hoof it.. plain and simple.. i cant see justifying the damage a 4 wheeler will do to the eco system just to save you a little effort.. never mind the emissions,the damage a 4 wheeler does to the landscape is horrible..
go with the four wheeler ......not as bad on emissions as someone cutting their lawn with a lawnmower...and probably not as bad on emissions as someone going for a sunday drive in the car .....atv's are a hell of a lot more fuel efficient these days than they were in the past
Hmm...Thanks for the replys. Unfortunatly as for hoofing it goes, that would be rather difficult. The air up in the Pryors is much thinner, so it makes it harder to breathe. No matter how well I got in shape, it wouldn't matter. Maybe I left out the trails thing. It's Montana law that ATVs have to stay on desiginated trails. I'm not trying to justify it, just stating some facts. The only other option I have is a horse, but I couldn't drag one up there. Even though there are horses and oddly enough, cows... Thanks for the imput though, I appreciate it.
Get a horse. It's emissions are a different problem, but it would get you wherever over most terrains and is nature friendly. If it's any consolation, In the high altitude, the easel will weigh marginally less.
