Destroying Ferns Just Seems Wrong

I was up at Reese Hollow Trail and Shelter, where I am the volunteer overseer for the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, to do some routine maintenance today.  It was not supper hot--about 80F--but the humidity was killer.  Within  half an hour I was as soaked from sweat as if I had jumped into a swimming pool.  See, I have to wear long pants, long sleeves, and gloves, which kinda runs counter to the whole coolness thing.

The shelter was fine, no issues there, so I turned my attention to weedwhacking the mile-long Reese Hollow Trail.  It connects the ridge-top Tuscarora Trail with the shelter down off the ridge where hikers can camp overnight and have good water access.

Here's a shot I took:

[image credit Gary]

Imagine waist-high ferns...indeed, the entire area is a veritable sea of ferns...and the trail running smack dab through the middle.  To keep the trail open I must destroy a ton of ferns.  Sure, there are many tons of ferns there, but somehow it just doesn't feel right to wipe out even a single fern.

Another one of life's trade-offs, I guess.