Forum Index > Trail Talk > Geez Louise, didn't expect crowds on a Tuesday!
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Navy salad
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Navy salad
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PostWed Mar 18, 2020 12:05 pm 
On an impulse, I went to Rattlesnake Ledges (near North Bend) yesterday (Tuesday), thinking it would be a nice middle-of-the-week outing that should easily comply with "social distancing". But when I got there (around 1pm) I couldn't believe how crowded it was! I drove around for quite a while just to find a place to park (glancing irritatedly at the cars parked taking up two spaces shakehead.gif ). I finally ended up parking in the boat launch area, since there wasn't even one boat trailer there. And the trail itself was super crowded! And you know the kids who are now out of school? Any guesses what a lot of their parents are doing? Taking them hiking! I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but I sure didn't expect summer weekend type crowding on a Tuesday in March! FYI, once you get above the super-crowded first ledge, the crowds completely fall away. I didn't even stop at the first ledge, which I heard was very crowded.

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mosey
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PostWed Mar 18, 2020 12:58 pm 
That sounds par for the course. I had a friend navigating the crowds of children up there on monday who said the same. Here's an image I took of the ledge on monday trying to spot them with the zoom lens lol.gif
Rattlesnake, Green, Moolock, Bessemer
Rattlesnake, Green, Moolock, Bessemer

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Cyclopath
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PostWed Mar 18, 2020 1:18 pm 
Schools are closed, restaurants are closed, places of entertainment and recreation are closed, people are getting furloughed. Suddenly a of people have time to go hiking. It's gorgeous out. I said this in another thread and I'm going to repeat myself: People are contagious before they have any symptoms, feeling healthy enough to go hiking doesn't mean anybody isn't contagious. You really don't want to be around other people. Now is the time for very obscure trails, snowshoeing off trail, scrambling, going further from the city, and probably to places that are less "desirable" as hikes. Solitude is great on its own, but now it's a public health thing.

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texasbb
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texasbb
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PostWed Mar 18, 2020 2:29 pm 
Jeff wrote:
You shouldn't complain about crowds when you are part of the crowd.
That's the only time it makes any sense to complain! clown.gif

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Navy salad
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Navy salad
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PostWed Mar 18, 2020 2:44 pm 
Jeff wrote:
You shouldn't complain about crowds when you are part of the crowd.
Wasn't intending it to sound like complaining as much as sharing an observation so people would know what to expect. But I do think I'll pick less popular hikes going forward, as Cyclopath suggested. Correction: My comment about single cars taking up two space was definitely a complaint!

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Anne Elk
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PostWed Mar 18, 2020 2:45 pm 
So much for the various district "virtual school" plans for the kiddos, eh?

"There are yahoos out there. It’s why we can’t have nice things." - Tom Mahood
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RichP
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PostWed Mar 18, 2020 2:46 pm 
I hike where nobody wants to go. Muddy logging roads through unsightly clearcuts. biggrin.gif This was yesterday.
Muddy Peedee Ck Rd.
Muddy Peedee Ck Rd.
There's usually a payoff on top though.
The southern end of Lake Coeur d'Alene called Lake Chatcolet.
The southern end of Lake Coeur d'Alene called Lake Chatcolet.

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Kim Brown
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PostWed Mar 18, 2020 5:34 pm 
Agencies and organizations are taking this opportunity to tout getting outdoors . "the outdoors arent closed"

"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area." Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
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Damian
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PostWed Mar 18, 2020 5:46 pm 
Indeed the Is Alps are seeing record loads for week days now.

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BigBrunyon
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PostWed Mar 18, 2020 7:21 pm 
Everyone off work. Average people (not REAL hikers) tryin to get outside to avoid the recent novel coronavirus concerns!! Sunny day!!! These are the makings for a major coronavirus spread at rattlesnake ledge!

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schifferj
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PostThu Mar 19, 2020 10:25 am 
Anne Elk wrote:
So much for the various district "virtual school" plans for the kiddos, eh?
I've been caring for my 9 y/o grand twins since Inslee closed the schools while my daughter (an ED nurse) puts in long days at the hospital. My evidence is anecdotal having talked to only a few knowledgeable individuals. It seems that there is no plan in place (and that is a fact) to ensure equality of learning using virtual media as some children do not have/cannot afford access. I'm told this issue is being addressed by state officials and virtual school plans will be forthcoming. As of right now they are non existent at least on the east side of the state. Another whole issue is how to provide for special needs kids.

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Brucester
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PostThu Mar 19, 2020 5:54 pm 
The other day while cutting blackberries at Colonnade Bike Park I couldn't help not noticing the steady progression of stair enthusiasts. Stairs or hiking trails, sorta the same? A bench like a view overlook? Seems like popular trails are just as risky as city stairs! Isn't avoidance the whole point???

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Cyclopath
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PostThu Mar 19, 2020 10:21 pm 
If you go to the top of those stairs and look right, toward the freeway exit, that road going up doesn't seem much (any?) human traffic. Down below there's a running and cycling trail around Lake Union, always packed. There are a bunch of ways through the city that you can walk at a safe distance from other people.

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Backpacker Joe
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PostFri Mar 20, 2020 6:27 am 
Its Rattlesnake! LOL. Had you chosen to hike into Sunday lake Im sure you would have been alone.

"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide." — Abraham Lincoln
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SwitchbackFisher
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PostFri Mar 20, 2020 9:33 am 
I understand the feeling. I biked the entire Greenway in Yakima Tuesday, didn't see many people. Wednesday afternoon I trail ran Cowiche Canyon, and it's the most people I've ever seen there. More people there than the Greenway I'm sure.

I may not be the smartest, I may not be the strongest, but I don't want to be. I only want to be the best I can be.
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