I agree with you, very much so. Just imagine the Whitney trail looking something like the trail to Vernal Falls, in Yosemite: paved, and perhaps benches every now and then for resting... Groan.
No volunteer trail groups over here. All trail work by the USFS is kept to a minimum: removing rock slides, cutting paths through fallen trees, etc. The biggest project in recent years was the construction of a bypass below Bishop Pass, to avoid a very dangerous rock slide area.
Try to imagine long pack trains laden with heavy equipment rumbling up and down the Whitney trail. And then the protests from people who want those nasty mules and horses banned from the wildness.
The only way things get done in the forest is with volunteers. The FS has no budget for this and will find no budget for this. Almost all the work done in our forests are done by volunteers from the visitors centers to trail crews.
