THE INSIDE TRACK

* Re “Sequoia Cabin Owners Fear Losing Perch,” July 17: I read your article about Mineral King with interest, since I have traveled there many times in the past. It certainly is a majestic place in a lonely corner of Sequoia National Park. In fact, going there is not for everyone, since the last 25 miles takes about 1 1/2 hours on a narrow road with about 650 switchbacks.

You can see some scattered cabins along some of the roadway, but they don’t restrict access to any part of the area. I have stayed in the campground there many times and it is rarely filled to capacity. The many trails in the valley and those into the back country are not restricted in any way to those who want to use them. Perhaps the National Park Service should put its efforts to work on some real problems rather than on one that appears to be only perceived. If the cabins have been there since the early 1920s causing no apparent public access problems to the area, perhaps the saying “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” applies.

ART YATES

Irvine

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I have spent nearly 70 summers at Mineral King and I regret that cabin owners are being pitted against environmentalists. We are environmentalists, too. We were there working to preserve this pristine valley when the Walt Disney Co. assaulted it with its plans for a huge resort on the very boundary of the wilderness.

Some of the cabins were built at the invitation of the Forest Service in the 1920s. Others were there earlier, left over from the mining and cattle-grazing days. According to Park Service statistics, the vast majority of responses to the new management plan at meetings held last year throughout California favored continuing the cabin permits.

Years ago the cabin owners developed the spring and water system that has been enlarged to provide Cold Spring Campground with fresh, pure water. The cabins are part of the history and charm of Mineral King.

JEAN HOLT KOCH

Los Angeles