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DIYSteve
seeking hygge
Joined: 06 Mar 2007
Posts: 12655 | TRs | Pics
Location: here now |
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DIYSteve
seeking hygge
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 Thu Oct 25, 2018 9:12 pm |
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It's possible that both views are valid. Some spots get publicized via social media and thus attract crowds. Some of those land on the "must do" list and get mobbed. It seems that most young hikers largely rely on social media for their trip info, thus they go to the crowded spots. The places that escape social media exposure are protected. I have no problem finding places with solitude if I try.
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Ski
><((((°>
Joined: 28 May 2005
Posts: 12824 | TRs | Pics
Location: tacoma |
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Ski
><((((°>
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Thu Oct 25, 2018 11:17 pm |
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Nor do I. I am solo when outdoors, and I very rarely see anybody.
The issue isn't about not being able to find "solitude" (however you want to define that.)
The issue is about places that formerly offered some sense of solitude being overrun by people and (more importantly) the detrimental impact caused by increasing numbers of users visiting those places.
The same issues that ultimately led to "quota" systems in the Enchantments and Seven Lakes Basin.
"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
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uww
Member
Joined: 16 Dec 2015
Posts: 318 | TRs | Pics
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uww
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Thu Oct 25, 2018 11:29 pm |
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Foist
Sultan of Sweat
Joined: 08 May 2006
Posts: 3974 | TRs | Pics
Location: Back! |
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Foist
Sultan of Sweat
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Fri Oct 26, 2018 9:54 am |
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| Tom wrote: | | Agree it's best to spread the impact around rather than concentrate hikers and backpackers. Places like TML are not the best candidates because they can't really handle the impact.
How to spread the impact? Comes down to common sense. Not sure what the author (or individual that provided the image) were thinking. I would say the bar is much higher for posting in Backpacker Magazine.
TRs here do have impact. I've always left it up to everyone's discretion. We've had this discussion many times. I go back to Carl Skoog's words of wisdom. I think he summed it up nicely:
https://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=131670#131670 |
Tom, you are a wise and generous man. So I respect your opinion on this. It is a little ironic that you advocate this view when you also started this website (although I should not give you any ideas about taking it down). Also, I am a little skeptical that some spots "handle the impact" less well than others. I guess it depends on how you view a couple extra established campsites. I don't find it that big a deal, but I get it. I think the relative fragility of some places versus others is overblown, but I get it to some extent.
Anyway, let's assume you are right, and some areas are less able to absorb impact. I say it's still silly to rail against one person or publication for publishing a name in one particular place. That's not causing the problem. The problem is: 1) bigger population in the area generally; and much more so: 2) hiking has absolutely exploded in popularity in the last few years. Yes, sometimes people start flooding a place after it gets posted on WH&C or Backpacker. But that doesn't make it the "efficient cause" in any real sense. If it would not have been published there, it would have been published somewhere else. If it would not have been that sensitive place, it would have been another one. And will be a another one next year. If people are eager to flock to a place like that, they will find out about it one way or another. You're not going to control the information, particularly in this day and age.
The only way to make more sensitive places less trampled is to: 1) educate people who go there (e.g., "give a hoot don't pollute" helped a lot when the backcountry was getting trashed in the 70s and 80s); and 2) limit access to particular sensitive places through permits. If you're railing about the problem, and not talking about one or both of these things, you are wasting your time.
So re: TML. I was there once many years ago, had it to myself (although it was a Sunday night, and there was at least one party on the way out when I went in...) I have considered it as a weekend option to take my wife. Now, it's not a good option probably, or at least I'll have the wait out the fad. So am I sad this happened? Yes. But it's silly to blame Backpacker in particular, or demand that they not published some names of some places, because if they wouldn't have done it, someone else would. Indeed, others have, as Rumi pointed out. It's all about what random thing happens to catch on and make something an "it" hike on social media.
The good news is if you just look at these sites, and look at maps, you can easily find places that nobody has posted about in a while and are not that crowded. Even places that are on trails. For example, the last couple years Maple Pass Loop (which has never been a sekrit by any means) has become THE absolute "it hike" in Fall, it's massive parking lot overflowing for half a mile down the highway. But Easy Pass -- just a couple miles up the highway, and no less beautiful -- has been pretty quiet. Small parking lot, no overflow. So in the fall, I've gone there instead. Next year, some particular post might explode Easy Pass. So then I'll go somewhere else.
And fads are cyclical, especially with younger people -- I think at some point the popularity of hiking will wane in general.
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Tom
Admin
Joined: 15 Dec 2001
Posts: 17851 | TRs | Pics
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Tom
Admin
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Fri Oct 26, 2018 11:54 am |
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NWH was started after WTA decided to close down their trail talk forum. Trip reports were not initially contemplated here since WTA already served that purpose.
My opinion on this subject has evolved over time. Initially I didn't share the same appreciation for discretion. But after I started to venture off trail and visit destinations that didn't get much visitation I could see the very obvious differences and gained much more of an appreciation for the value of discretion, for the benefit of the next visitor. It's a judgment call how much detail to put in a TR (or whether to post a TR at all) and everyone has to ultimately decide for themselves.
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MtnGoat
Member
Joined: 17 Dec 2001
Posts: 11992 | TRs | Pics
Location: Lyle, WA |
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MtnGoat
Member
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Fri Oct 26, 2018 12:22 pm |
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| Tom wrote: | | Almost felt like some were happy to post a TR to gleefully mock the call for discretion. |
True dat, I got the same impression.
Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. - Will Rogers
Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. - Will Rogers
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