PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
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MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
VOL. 25, NO. 35
NOV. 18, 2011
Dining proposal rejected
THISWEEK
By Wehtahnah Tucker
that it moved a boulder that we had to step on.” She added, “I thought, ‘How am I going to cross it?’ I started crying and thought I was going to die. Fortunately, four guys came by who were more experienced with the river and they showed us how.” Ross and Bolton, along with friends, also encountered a 400-pound black bear in Etna, Calif. “When he saw us, he took off,” Ross said. Another hiker they met had a more chilling story. “He told me he was in a tent when he saw a mountain lion on a knoll about 15 feet away, and eight feet above him,” Ross said. “The only thing he could think of was to press different ringtones in his cell phone. After trying five different tunes, circus music scared the lion off.” When Ross arrived at the Manning Park Resort at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 27, he signed the
ENCINITAS — The City Council rejected an outdoor dining proposal on Nov. 16 and directed the city’s planning and engineering department to make changes in the sidewalk café ordinance. While the council disagreed on the details of proposal, it was unanimous in its support that downtown restaurants with outdoor tables must keep at least a 5foot-wide pathway on city sidewalks open at all times to allow pedestrian access. Last April, the council directed staff to draft a more cohesive policy and permitting process to allow outdoor dining.The council said it supported upholding an existing ban on businesses adding ironwork railings around downtown sidewalk eating areas. However, the members did not support a suggestion that downtown sidewalk tables be permanently fixed in place to prevent them from “creeping” into pedestrian corridors. City staff suggested ways to improve pedestrian access along the downtown Coast Hwy. 101 corridor that included requiring restaurants to place tables and chairs next to their buildings rather than closer to the street. The city has faced complaints from wheelchair users about the lack of open sidewalk space as more restaurants have moved their diners outside. The city also settled a lawsuit over the issue recently. The council was unanimous in its support for maintaining a 5-foot pedestrian pathway requirement through outdoor dining areas along the sidewalks of downtown Coast Hwy. The disagreement came when permitting fees were discussed. So far, 17 downtown restaurants have been granted “encroachment permits,” according to staff reports. The city charges a one-time fee of $290 for permits to use public sidewalk
TURN TO TREK ON A27
TURN TO PROPOSAL ON A23
MOVEMBER Members of the community are growing out their best mustaches in support of men’s health B1 awareness.
DIVERSIFIED Reggae, folk, jazz and R&B singer Josiah Diallo sings Dylan and recites A9 Spanish poetry.
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“In the Sierras, conditions were difficult due to ice, snow and raging rivers,” explained Barbara Bolton. She and her husband Jack Ross hike the 2,600-mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. Courtesy photo
Couple readjusting to normal life after adventure By Lillian Cox
ENCINITAS — Jack Ross admits to having difficulty adjusting to civilization following a 2,660-mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. The trek took him from the Mexican to Canadian borders, leaving Campo on April 18 with his wife, Barb Bolton, and arriving at Manning Park, British Columbia, on Sept. 27 by himself. “Life is very simple on the trail,” he said. “I came home to all kinds of hassles like the handle on the toilet being loose and the virus protection on the computer needing updating.” The solitude and peacefulness on the trail also resulted in sensory overload upon his return. “On my second day home, Barb had a party and it grew out of control,” he said. “We have a tile floor which made the noise reverberate. I had to go outside for 10 minutes to get my thoughts together.”
There were other things Ross needed to acclimate to, simple things like opening his closet to find a selection of 15 shirts. For five months he’d worn only the clothes on his back. “I couldn’t imagine wearing all my shirts unless I changed them every half hour,” he said. Eventually, he got used to the idea of living in Encinitas again. “It’s great to be back,” he said smiling. “The weather in Canada really sucked. The second to the last day I got caught in the snow.” Bolton left with Ross in April but on June 24 was forced to return home after being injured. “In the Sierras, conditions were difficult due to ice, snow and raging rivers,” she said. “Over the 10 days I slipped and fell numerous times, fracturing some ribs and causing injury to my back. When I reached Mammoth Lakes, I realized I
could no longer continue.” Ross joined a New Zealand couple they met along the way. The three hiked from Northern California to the Oregon border. Afterward, Ross backtracked to Mammoth to pick up the section he previously missed that included mountains and dangerous river crossings. “Barb met up with me twice, once in Northern California and the other (time) in Oregon,” he said.“She wanted to hike another 97 miles to be able to say that she walked at least 1,000 miles along the PCT in one season.” The couple confronted perils during their travels, including the fact that there was record snow in the Sierras making 2011 one of the most dangerous and difficult years for PCT hikers in history. “The rivers for me were the scariest,” Bolton said. “The trail ran through a river next to a waterfall in the Sierras which was so powerful
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