Panamintcity

[CottonballMarsh]

Cottonball what do you mean "simply because he chose to take his website down"? It was not simply.
He gave us inspiration and resources and then completely pulled the rug from beneath us. I was completely gutted.  It was the heights of the pandemic and I had no idea he was shutting down and didnt get to make a copy of his website I heavily relied on. And he made sure to not allow any public archives. He promised pdfs and books were coming and so many of us volunteered to help him with them or by hosting the website but he just made excuses. I doubt he had any intention for that to ever happen.
And then he went on to make youtube videos of places that he was gatekeeping and telling others not to share.
No he didnt owe us anything and yes he is a super nice guy but killing the website sure as hell was hurtful and unnecessary and I get to criticize that.
And make no mistake, he didnt intend for the trip reports to be accessible to us.
Thank you to the Jims and Kauris and Stavs and others that still continue to inspire me and show me these magical places. And thank you internet glitches...

I think we may have different perspectives on this, and that’s okay. From what I recall (and it's been awhile so I could be wrong), Steve did communicate on several platforms that he intended to take the website down, and he had that information labeled on the site for some time before actually following through. While I understand the frustration, I don’t believe that once something is online, it must remain there and that a creator can choose to remove it—especially when it is a completely free resource and notice was provided.

I’m truly sorry to hear that you found the removal so hurtful. It’s good for me to understand that others may have experienced its loss more deeply than I did. That said, whether or not the decision was "unnecessary" isn’t for us to judge—Steve had his reasons, and I believe they should be respected.

My original comment was primarily directed at the suggestion that Steve took the site down "for drama." I think it’s entirely valid to share feelings about the website's disappearance, and I appreciate you expressing yours, even if they don’t align with mine. There’s definitely a broader, worthwhile conversation to be had about gatekeeping and what information should or shouldn’t be shared. I’ve always admired that Steve avoided sharing the locations of sensitive natural and cultural resources, though I haven’t watched his videos to know if that has changed. 

Where I take issue is with pointed, personal remarks that feel unproductive to the larger conversation. It’s one thing to critique decisions; it’s another to make assumptions about intent or character. That is what led to my initial comment.