[Tom]

Which is why this discussion usually goes nowhere unless you are able to see shades of gray.

[markweth]

[Stefan-K]

[MtnGoat]

Not sure where the myth was in Sluggo's argument. The fact is, your impact is not only your feet, it's the impact of all the feet you inspire, too.

[Cyclopath]

How could anybody say anything about where they went this weekend (or anything else) without thinking about it first? You have to think in order to come up with words to post. But it's nice to assume those younger folks who are ruining everything, they don't think.

[Ski]

[RumiDude]

[markweth]

Good points. Definitely a compelling context to look at the idea in. Thanks.

[Randito]

[Tom_Sjolseth]

Ah, Autumn is upon us. A time where the needles fall gently from the golden larch into a bed of freshly fallen snow, when the birds head south for Winter, when the sun sets lower in the sky, and the NWHikers engage in pointless dialogue on a myriad of issues they have no control over and do so with an array of snarky undertones. Where is rbuzby to contribute to this important discussion?

[Ski]

There's still some season left. Get out there and enjoy those fall colors!

[treeswarper]

Can't get out this afternoon. You'd wash away. We're getting wave after wave of some serious downpours with an occasional thunder boom. On a road I walk on, I must go through a minefield of decomposing toilet paper. The poopage goes away pretty quickly and I won't speculate on here how. It makes that part of the walk a bit unpleasant. But in our local climate, poopage and toilet paper decompose pretty quickly and now I've made myself feel ill.

[markweth]

[Bernardo]

It's an interesting question and thinking about this isn't the worst use of time. Hopefully, more people will turn into more money for trails and a healthy equilibrium will be reached.

[markweth]

So, this might help clarify the impetus for my advocacy for asking Leave No Trace to consider adding an 8th Principle . . . and the article is straight from Leave No Trace themselves, less than a week ago: https://lnt.org/blog/guffey-gorge-instagram-famous Once a local secret, this 80-acre gorge, managed by the Bureau of Land Management, boasts a gorgeous waterfall that tumbles from steep granite canyon walls. Tucked 1/2 mile down an unassuming trailhead, social media attention has turned this sleepy spot into a hotbed of activity. On sunny July weekends, up to 1,000 visitors a day make the steep hike into the Gorge to enjoy a swimming hole at the base of the falls that’s not much bigger or deeper than your average backyard pool. Guffey Gorge and area residents are now are dealing with the negative ecological and social impacts that are a direct result of this explosion in visitation. Litter lines the rocks surrounding the cove and blows into neighbors’ yards from overflowing dumpsters in the parking lot. Thousands of glass shards threaten bare feet down by the water. The designated trail to the falls is difficult to follow in places due to erosion caused by off-trail travel. The gurgling lullaby of Fourmile Creek and the falls tumbling into the pool below are often overpowered by loud music. And it’s not uncommon for the local Emergency Medical Services crew to compromise their safety and the integrity of the land to evacuate visitors who injure themselves jumping from the cliffs or falling on the rough trails. I guess what I've been trying to get at (and thanks for your patience along the twisting trail of discussion) is that if this type of scenario repeated over and over across our public lands is acceptable and no action should be made by LNT (who clearly are aware of the issue) to encourage people to think before they post, then I will accept that. I just want to hear it from them. I am also curious if the hiking community thinks it is OK for people to continue to mindlessly tag natural places when these are the results and a little bit of discretion likely would have kept this from experiencing such disastrous impacts.