BC's Wilderness Challenge (BWCAW) 

Bryan said: "Def bring cleaning tools, a lot of this was covered in crispy lichen and collected dirt in some of the buckets."

That lichen takes more than 100 years to grow, and as a canoeing guide up there we would tell people not to fuck with it on the cliffs, since most of the folks headed to the boundary waters are not climbers and go to see pristine beauty.

How would you respond to that? "It's not illegal so we can do it if we want."?

Are you sure it's ok with the park? I really don't know. But it's something you might want to know. Most people who we would reprimand up there were carving their names in the lichen, so obviously climbing is not the same as that, but still would be nice to confirm before announcing to the mp world to start scrubbing. Just sayin'.

I agree with Chris. I did a senior research project a couple years ago about finding climbable cliffs in the BWCA with GIS. I have a half dozen or more verified climbable cliffs in the BWCA, but not sure if I want to go climb them. If I leave a permanent (this lifetime plus more) scar on the cliff from cleaning too much, could I live with that? It's not only about me, but will others have a lessened sense of pure wilderness in an area of land that holds America's highest regard as a pristine place, a wilderness area.
Its a fine line between cleaning enough to have a good climb and over-cleaning. I'm thinking that I will try to climb up there, but ONLY if it needs minimal cleaning and can be done without bolts. I commented on "Dream On" about you asking the rangers to bolt it.
Whatever you do, please don't degrade our fragile relationship with the rangers as it is.