As a child of the eighties, I grew up outdoorsy and athletic. It became a family mission to spend weekends hiking and backpacking. Mount Washington as a second grader, and my first backpack in Evans Notch two years later. All 48 by fifth grade. This is a humble accolade rather than a flamboyant accomplishment. The outdoors cements the family unit and forges an unspoken confidence in a child. No lesson school could possibly match.
remember Mom always being like, hey, go outside and play! it's so nice out.. and you're like OHHkay Mom.. and you go on some adventure or be bored lol either way, the world feels so big. thinking back, you got out there, and one way or another it was a vibe 💫
@@DarkMetaOFFICIAL Yes, I think you grew up quicker as a kid in the 70s and 80s and you had no safety nets to rely on wandering out in nature. Great memories even of the really sketchy moments...
In this day and age I feel that kids spend way too much time indoors on line. Any time that kids are involved in outdoor activities is a plus. Hiking, hunting etc. Is awesome , in my circle we have always spent time out-of-doors even with little ones as long as parent's go out totally prepared. Also canoeing as long as children are taught safety. My girls always loved camping etc. If they start out young they will carry it forward. Good video guys! MA, ❤
In New Hampshire they use helicopters to bring the propane "bombs" to the AMC huts and to take out the poop filled containers from privies. Things that the CROO cannot carry on their back. Historically horses contributed a lot and the reason we have trail names such as Bridal Path and Carriage Road.
Great conversation! Started backpacking in 1988 at 16 with my high school outdoor club. Kept it up until my late 20s by going out to do 150 - 200 km every summer, often on my own. Then came marriage, kids, end of marriage and cancer. It is now 2015 and all I want to do is head out on a thru-hike but kids are 6 & 8 they have already had their family split and watched their mom have a stem cell transplant - how do I leave them for so long? Then I discovered ultralight gear and realized taking my kids with me could work, but not for a thru hike, they need their dad, they need the supports they relied on when I was sick. So we section hike. My kids, both girls, are rockstars on the trail, especially my younger one. Covid cancelled our 2020 plans so we decided to do section B of the GDT. There was one pass I was concerned about for my older daughter, but we had a plan in place in case she struggled. 65 km in, my younger daughter spilt boiling water on herself. She had extensive burns on one of her legs. She spent a lot of time sitting in a stream, dressed her leg and we were going to reassess in the morning. In the morning it didn’t look good. We could go forward and take a side trail to old logging roads, unclear of the distance but I figured 2-3 days to get out, and the pass I was concerned about lay ahead. The GDTA was doing trail maintenance close by maybe they could help out. Turning around would be 3-4 days. Contacted a person with the GDTA to see if we could meet up with the trail building crew, they called search & rescue. It was raining, so we had to wait until it was safe for the helicopter to come in. They got there around 5pm, they said they could only make 1 run due to weather. Was told that the ground team was on their way because they didn’t know if the helicopter could land so they would be there shortly. The helicopter could take the 3 of us, no gear or dog. Decided to hand over my 2 kids with their father’s contact info. I went back to camp, packed everything up to get ready for the land team. They grabbed my gear and we hiked the 2k single track to a wider trail. Finally hit me what was going on, was second guessing my decision about letting my girls go alone, beating myself up for handing her the cup before it cooled down - I know better than that! When we got to the wider trail ATVs were waiting along with a person from Alberta Parks. He took my statement and updated me on my girls. They were both doing well. Kept apologizing and he responded with no need to be sorry, this was a good call. They like to find people alive. It was 11pm when we got to the staging area, met up with the chief of police, (small town and there was a road race the next day), he took my statement again. As he was driving me to the hospital he told me that kids were strong, stronger than some adults. The doctor told me it was good that I called in as the risk of infection would be high if we remained on trail. We still go out every summer.
Shit happens. Sometimes we need help to get out of shitty situations and that was definitely one of those times. I hope you have gone back out to Section B and finished it as a trio! Nothing wrong with taking kids on tough backpacking trips, or with trusting them with hot drinks or real cutlery or anything else like that. It's better than bubble-wrapping them and raising young adults who are afraid to take risks.
I didn’t even think something like going out on a long hike as a solo female was possible until I started hearing about it on social media. I mean, I read the book Wild l, but still, it wasn’t until I started researching I actually thought I, myself, could do it. I recently mentioned it to my mom who is in her 70s, and she said, “You’re going to need to get yourself a man before you do that.” 😅
I moved from the Canadian Prairies to the west coast of British Columbia over ten years ago and grew to know the outdoors better than I ever did in my first 20+ years of life. I rarely share anything about my outdoor activities on social media, but I’ve certainly discovered more trails and learned more about safety and best practices from social media content unintentionally. I definitely agree that a lot of harm to the environment is due to the spread of the “instagrammable locations” (I also working in digital/social media marketing, specifically in tourism marketing) which has been eye-opening.
I have lived my entire life less than ½ mile from the Appalachian Trail. My great grandfather's farm is bordered on three sides by National Forest property in which the A.T. crosses. It is just below the Big and Little Hump Mountains on the N.C. side. To some people this is just a nice area to walk through on their through hike or a nice place to camp in the summer when it's to hot wherever they come from. To me it's been home for fifty one years and if I want to ride up the Houston Ridge to the top of the Hump on a horse I don't see a problem with it. Why because some trail crosses these mountains it becomes illegal for people to enjoy it? I've had this debate several times with my friend Jay Leutze from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and I do understand WAY BETTER than 99.9% of people why things need to be preserved and taken care of. However government overreach is real and being told I can't enjoy the mountains I was raised on because some hiker might step in crap is horseshit.
It’s not about you not being able to enjoy it, but you on your horse. That’s a difference. Nobody is keeping you out. I would also like to have rules where people couldn’t hike the trails blaring radios, wanting to maintain a more natural experience in terms of ambient sound. As a hiker, I don’t have an issue with horses on the surface. Horse crap on trail definitely isn’t an issue for me. What is an issue is the physical trail’s ability to withstand horse traffic without becoming a U-shaped trench that then becomes a river whenever it rains, and also loses firm support to hike on.. Horses on certain terrain tear up trails and contribute to erosion. Walking on soft, shifting soil isn’t a good experience I would be fine with parallel trails for horses in areas where a little bit of horse activity quickly created a negative impact to a hiking trail. I’d say make it horse only, so hikers didn’t start complaining about how bad it was to hike on. If a land management agency only approves one trail in an area prone to erosion, IMO it should be for foot traffic only. No horse, no bikes, no ATVs.
Not sure I can agree with you. If you don’t own the land then you don’t get to decide you ought to be able to use it however you want. I do see the irritation. Our country’s founded on the government taking land from folks who lived there and ought to have had the right to keep using it and living on it. I’d say, as a white person, I don’t get to complain about something like that without being a hypocrite. Before we came to this continent owning property was not a thing. You can argue that different tribes “owned” certain areas, but that isn’t historically accurate.
As a backpacker and mountain biker, it is annoying to deal with horseshit on a trail, but I think horse riders have just as much right to share trails regardless. If people don't want to hike on a trail with horses, then they can just go to the many hiker only trails etc.
In National Forests out west there is an established trail etiquette about horses, hikers and bicycles. Horses have first right of way, then hikers, then bikes
Isn’t it horses, then bikes, the hikers? That’s how it was everywhere I went in Wyoming at least. It makes sense, because as a hiker it’s easier to get off the trailer then as a biker or horseback rider
Old man here, I think you guys like to call us boomers. I have been backpacking since the 70s and I certainly don’t mess my old gear one bit. I also like using Far Out and find it helpful. The pro and cons for me is this, at this point of life I could no longer carry the pack I once did in my earlier years so I am sure I would no longer be backpacking. I probably hike nearly twice as far today as I did forty years ago because my gear is so lightweight UL all the way. The gear back in the day was fine and worked well but was very heavy. My base weight now is what my old Dana pack weighed empty, which is crazy. Far Out and phones are nice but I certainly think the forest and trails were much more relaxing pre technology. You would hit the trail and left the outside world behind. I certainly could still do that now but now I have a wife and kids and they worry about their old man hiking for weeks on end alone. I think In Reach and cell phones give many people a false sense of security. In the last couple of years at least four people have died of hypothermia in the Whites alone. I found two lost girls two years ago on Lafayette, no map, underdressed and crying. I brought them back to the top of the mountain and got them headed down the mountain on the trail they somehow lost. I also helped to carry a backcountry skier out of the backcountry in the Whites many years ago. He simply fell and that can happen to anyone. A woman died near Madison in the winter of 2015 and her GPS was pinging all over the place. Her biggest mistake was being there to begin with. The weather report that day was brutal and no person could have done what she was attempting to do. They wrote a book about this tragic incident, it’s called Where You’ll Find Me and it gets into how many people get themselves into trouble in the first place. It’s a fast read and I think anyone would spends time in the outdoors should read it. Kyle you need to get Bailey from The Most Important Step on your pod cast, she is a complete bad ass. Take care
A GenXer here. I don't miss any of my kit from the 80s, especially the canvas tents and sleep systems I had! What concerns me, above people's lack of preparedness, is their general ignorance of the wider world and nature, especially what can injure or kill them that's a few paces off the trail. The sort of stuff you don't learn from social media, and only from learning from those that earnt that knowledge before you. Then there's some people's sense of entitlement...the more I watch of this video it sounds like a niche elite club, a fashion clique...this all sounds like the wisdom of youth, I guess...so much so I don't think I'll make it to the end lol.
I agree with the risk assessment during a solo hike being part of the adventure. I solo hike 99% of the time though there are often people on the mountain that want to buddy up, but there are times I’m the only one on the mountain. (Only on the East coast does that happen lol) There have been times in the Presidentials that I’ve had to turn around after coming out of tree line because of poor visibility and wind and me being the only human. I try to make sure I always make the wiser choice. Some of my family members constantly harp on me soloing, and sometimes I feel like it’s partly because I’m a female. Anyways. Male vs Females hiking solo have completely different responses a lot of times. It’s annoying. I have a sattelite device for communication and SOS if needed. Anyways, those are just some of my thoughts. Thanks for the episode!
A good thing about more media on hiking and backpacking even with over crowding it brought more competition to businesses and they improved their gear and started bringing more products to people.
-- SOS button -- I bring my Garmin InReach for injuries more than getting lost. Something like a twisted ankle can make a regular hike into a dicey situation. Also, nice to have communication (SMS) and preset messages when outside cell service. -- Why hike? -- I do a lot conditioning hikes close to home for the exercise so I feel more comfortable hiking in more remote locations.
I hiked about 120 miles of the Muir trail in '72 and 160 of The Tahoe Yosemite "trail" in '73. There was a significant amount of bushwhacking necessary at the time. Once we were 2 or 3 miles in from the trailhead we would usually see other hikers every hour or two. We did have a few sections where we didn't see anyone. I was 15-16 years old at the time. We had 5 pounds of boot on each foot and our packs were not light. 😝My primary goal at the time was backcountry fishing.
I’ve been making my way through all the podcast episodes while watching the new ones as they come out and man, the production quality has improved so much! The old episodes are still great, but it’s awesome to see the improvement over time. Fun topic for the first in-person episode, cheers!
In Norway it’s uncommon to share your hikes on social media, almost everyone hike or back-pack it’s so common and been for generations. For us it’s a way of life to be out in nature as much as we can when we have time off work.
Thank you! Another good episode! I hike with a cell phone and satellite device but only turn them on in the evening to contact my wife.....to let her know "I am OK"......
I'm 54, live between Hot Springs, NC and Roan Mountain, TN and social media combined with the pandemic has made most of our outdoor spots unbearable. I'd be lying if I didn't say I love watching hiking videos, but it is quickly making many spots unsustainable.
Social Media creators should stop rehashing the same places as other content creators. They should venture out to new areas and encourage others to do so as well. I know of a 150 mile stretch of trail. Along 10 miles of it there will be 100+ backpackers on any given weekend. Venture outside of this stretch and you’ll be lucky to get 5 over a weekend (logbook entries confirm this). Social media creators should also talk in general terms when it comes to location, rather than giving specifics. Let their content be interesting and appealing to the eye, but don’t lead every viewer to the same spot.
@@ScottsdaleMemorial-zb4ey I agree on live music. I’m talking recorded and played on RU-vid. Is someone’s creation adding something new, or just adding to the noise? I’m just saying if someone feels an issue of overcrowding is due to RU-vid videos from a given spot, consider making a video of some other sport and posting that, rather than just recreating a 100 other videos and adding to the unsustainable popularity of an area.
@@ScottsdaleMemorial-zb4ey the question at hand is if an over saturation of social media postings of a natural areal cause it to receive more visitation than it can sustain without undergoing a noticeable change. It so, the responsible course of action would be not to contribute to the problem by posting “yet another video” or whatever of the same area - take your creativity elsewhere, or enjoy it for yourself and close family but do not share it with the world.
Also, every time you hit the trail be sure to thank a horse or a mule because they're often the ones that haul all the gravel and boards up to build Bridges and trails for the rest of us to enjoy. Motorized equipment is not allowed to be used in wilderness areas. Equines work their tails off for you guys.
This was so interesting! I really enjoyed this. With regards to bicyclists I think they should be as respectful to hikers as they want cars to be to them. As far as thru hiking with kids, these are my thoughts: I worry anytime a child is taken into any kind of insular community. It just raises the opportunity for the child to be abused and lowers the child's access to help. I also think something as extreme as thru hiking should be a personal choice, not something someone is forced into. A good solution for this would be for the parent to present the idea and let the kids think about it, then offer some options, like if you don't want to thru hike with us your grandparents have agreed to let you stay with them while we (the parent(s) and possible siblings) go hike. Alternatively if you want to try the hike and see if you like it, your grandparents have agreed to come pick you up if you don't like hiking and want to go home with them while we finish. Another option is for you to come hike with us for a section in each state. etc.. Just giving the child some options and control over their own life when you are talking about doing something pretty extreme I think is important. If the parent is planning a thru hike they will need to be more fit, knowledgeable, and capable than the average hiker. They need to be in good enough physical condition to quickly carry their child miles through the woods if there is an emergency. They need to know how to handle and administer care in emergency situations. Emergencies in the middle of nowhere are intense and scary, emergencies involving children are intense and scary. They need to be overly prepared, so they can stay calm and keep their child calm if something happens. They also need to know their child's school curriculum, particularly foundation skills that people need for life like reading. They need a way to teach them either through remote learning, a guided curriculum, and/or by having training to help them teach effectively. Additionally they need some sort of backup plan when they are struggling with a skill or concept. There is so much to learn on the trail, but they will still need certain skills and knowledge for when they go back to school/college/life. And they will need patience and be prepared to go at their child's pace. They can't hike ahead or behind like you might do with another adult hiker. Obviously the child's age plays a factor into how far they can go without you, but I'm speaking in generalities. If they are prepared and the child is on board, I am all for it! I think the things you can learn on trail, being in nature, the family bonding that can happen is amazing and invaluable. Many of my happiest memories as a child were hiking in the Appalachian mountains with my dad, sister, and/or friends. I would have loved doing a thru hike as a kid.
Great episode. Couple thoughts I would have loved to have been able to hike when I was 10 to 12 years old. It would’ve been a wonderful educational experience. Parents pay thousands of dollars every summer to send their kids out into the wilderness through various programs.
We amazingly thru hikers but do the occasional mountain we have taken our son with us since he was 7 he started with mountains we had already done so we knew the routes and the technical difficulties since it was his goal for the year we did let him skip school for it but the school knew where he was. He was getting bullied and had been acting out because of it and figured he needed a mental health day and we worked on confidence building. After that he was hooked the next year we took him on one of our fave trails the west Highland way. He hiked it with a pack and had a great time. Its only a 96 mile hike and we did tell him he can go to his grans if he didn't want to go cause he loves it there, but he chose to come with us. He even carried a pack built for his size and weight. He also made friends at the campsites since there was other campers at some of the sites.
That is an awesome story. For many reasons. The first being that you took his mental health and school situation seriously and helped him through it. The second being that you introduced him to something he seems to love. ❤❤ What wonderful parents. ❤❤
Another positive about GPS devices is they provide a more accurate location for rescue teams. Think about the hundreds of personnel who would go out on search and rescue missions for missing hikers (searching a large area around a last know point - or the trail that person was hiking). GPS data reduces the number of personnel putting their lives at risk during the search.
A woman died near Mt. Adam’s - Madison in the winter I think in 2015 and her GPS was pinging all over the place. No hate on GPS devices but I would never depend on them to save my life. They are certainly better than nothing but in her case she made a series of terrible decisions. There is a book written about her ordeal, I think it’s called Where You’ll Find Me. It a very read and very interesting.
I get how people are concerned with "the amount of ppl" exploring the outdoors now. Especially post covid. But in my opinion we should focus more on all of us educating others on the importance of leave no trace. Staying on trail to not disturb the surrounding ecosystems. Having fines for trashing areas. The more we put on restrictions to areas we have to remember for us more "OG outdoorsy" people it will restrict us as well. I live in Colorado and I hated when they put in the restrictions to our parks. We live here and pay taxes in our state and now I can't even access it randomly in certain areas when I want to, and I think it's kind of unfair. I don't want to have to plan out months in advance access to areas, life changes and also weather patterns as well which can affect those slotted dates. So it's a tough subject. I see both sides but there's got to be a better solution vs restricting access.
On children being on trail, I would argue that being out there to see the world is one of the best forms of education out there. I support it, as long as children are still learning in some way. I think many of the children who thru hike are actually home schooled.
My husband I and backpacked with all 4 of our children over the years. Results: our eldest bought a full set of gear during her junior year in Chile- backpacked and even taught a fellow student the essentials. Another kid through hiked the AT. Proud mother.
I like to see RESPONSIBLE parents taking their kids outside. I hate seeing folks on trails with cliffs letting their toddlers run about. In Austin there are trails with cliffs and I can’t stand it when mom and dad are gabbing and their littles are wandering close to the cliff. Also, make sure your kids are hydrated!
These are your worst controversies??? Seriously, try these. They'll get you into virtual knife fights online. Shoes vs boots. Don't need bear spray. Quilts vs sleeping bags. Hammocks vs tents. Tarps vs tents. Don't need water filters. Don't need camp shoes. Cold soaking vs hot.
I suppose yellow blazing is up to a person’s own sensibilities. I do agree that someone who claims to be thru-hiking and keeps skipping chunks is not truly thru hiking. That is annoying.
On the topic of Graffiti which you touched on. I do not think it belongs in the woods, I mean if I wanted to see graffiti I could just stay in town. A prime example would be Daniel Boone natural bridge. Here is a wonderful natural stone bridge covered with tags. Really takes away from the natural beauty.
It is funny, when I see “graffiti” from 100s of years ago I think of it as a cool part of history. But I am very against it in modern day. I can’t remember the name of the mountain that folks in the Oregon trail carved their names into.. I would be appalled if someone carved their name into a mountain face nowadays.
I had no interest in backpacking, hiking, or camping until I started watching videos of people doing it. I think filming it and uploading opens a lot of doors for people who wouldn't otherwise do it.
Another thing with horses shitting everywhere is when they shit next to water sources they can give people Giardia, there’s horseshit all over the Colorado Trail, and it’s got one of the highest rates giardia in the country
Awesome chat dudes! Ya, i used to laugh on the inside when certain types of people would say stuff like "i don't smoke herbs out of a metal pipe, only natural like glass" ... every single thing around us IS part of nature...the argument should be what level of manipulating nature is ok...
You should have titled this one "Existentialism with Baker Bokorney" (I hope I spelled your name right Baker) Dixie's rescue got her a helicopter bill of $56,000. Which Garmin insurance will cover about $50,000 of. So if you have a Garmin, get the insurance too! 😮 I think there are other areas that will bill you or not based on the stupid level of the predicament you got yourself into.
One could argue that anyone going out alone is stupid and therefore bill them no matter what. I agree that it should be taken into consideration,, but I also think that is so subjective. I didn’t know about the Garmin insurance and will definitely invest when I get my long hike planned!
Listening to the part about being embarrassed to use the SOS on your PLB reminds me of how the paragliding community thinks of reserve parachutes. A lot of pilots are afraid to throw and might wait until they’re too low and wind up hitting the ground because they have the attitude that they hope to never have to use theirs. I just bought a garmin inreach and I’m going to adopt the same attitude I have about my reserve. It’s part of my kit and it’s there to be used when that need arises. In both cases I’m not going to use it as an excuse to be risky, but I’m also not taking off without it.
The interesting thing about yellow blazing is when sections of trail are closed by fire or flooding it’s perfectly okay. On some trails this can add up to several hundred miles that’s quite a dent in the “thru hike”, but is never questioned even if you never go back. As far as satellite devices as a woman I would be less likely to take on a solo hike. But I don’t think anyone should be without it. Also mine allows communication with pickup and security for family. I did have to use mine once and it was a struggle to come to that conclusion. However, I was encouraged to use a dead end trail by a Ranger that told me it was fine when he was coming down it. It led me into a horrible cliff area then it started raining and made a decent impossible. I did get to top on my own power somehow and was meant by hut workers. At that point I was so exhausted I was glad to see them to get to hut as quickly as possible.
@@trailtalespod definitely was scary the point I pushed button I was standing over a hole that went in between rocks to who knows where my next step was shoulder high and I couldn’t make it with my pack on. I figured if I fell in the hole satellite wouldn’t work so if I pushed it now they would at least be able to find my body. I used a stick to push my pack up and prayed it didn’t fall into another hole. I got up and still had to climb but that was the scariest spot. At 69 I was on my hands and knees in water climbing so I didn’t fall. I never heard anything as wonderful as my name being called.
On the trail sharinng some things to keep in mind many if not most people do multiple activities, one day I mountain bike and one day I trail run/hike. Also taking an expansive approach vs a restrictive approach can be really helpful, when MTB specifc trails are not fun to hike so it naturally reduces conflicts, and generally more access spreads people out
Some perspective from an old guy (60s) I've been hiking my entire life and started in Scouts and w/my Dad. I have passed that on to my 2 kids who are both now in college. I think there are more people than you think who are on trail not necessarily for the right reasons (due to social media). Since Covid, it seems there are lots of 'uneducated' folks out on trail. I have opted into hiking in more obscure places to escape the crowds like natural areas, forests, etc. I started out hauling a framed pack and army surplus gear so today ? It couldn't be easier.
Im older...46....I did a lot of backpacking in 90's when gear was heavier and GPS technology wasn't reasonably priced or lightweight. I carried a compass and paper map which was fine. I actually still have some of the tattered dirty maps from adventures that bring back great memories. My base weight with my Gregory Shasta pack was maybe 5 pounds more than it is now.....not really a big deal and it was arguably more comfortable. Gear is cool but it doesn't make that much of a difference in my opinion....its all psychological.
If you think lightweight gear doesn’t make a difference, your pack might still be too heavy, or you still might be in good shape. I am in my 50s and have been backpacking since the 80s. I still do 20+ mile days. I find the long days on the same trail are easier today than they were 30+ years ago. The difference is that my pack weighs 15 pounds for 3-4 days instead of 35-40. Frameless sub one-pound packs, DCF fabrics, quilts, alcohol stoves, Polartec Alpha fleece, trail runners… gear has made a HUGE impact to how easy it is to cover ground, IMO.
@@bobzelley5100 new boots often have glued on, rather than stitched and glued on, soles and suffer from delaminating. You can read the Zemberlan and Asolo comments at REI - full of complaints.
The outdoors and, especially, the mountains has so much to say/offer to the family as a whole. I remember I was hiking/skiing from around 2-3 years old…. and always spent every weekend up in a hut or something my family owned. And suddenly, I had 10-12 years where I felt hiking was SOOOOO boring! And after I got 3 kids myself, I do absolutely my best to spend as much time in the mountains or outdoors as possible with my kids. Just so they got an introduction to the wilderness etc. and you can have an absolute blast! I love nature, especially the Jotunheimen National Park and Dovre. I’m not a big fan of the North or the Northern Lights. Mostly because of the tourists and the crowds. And I like to do some local hikes/hut-to-hut with my kids in the Setesdal-Ryfylke Wild Reindeer Area-the southernmost wild reindeer area in Norway. 🇳🇴 I think the culture is so much different from Norway and the US regarding hiking and spending months on the trail with your kids. Just look into it. We are born to spend time outside. This is just a US thing! Over-protective etc. we even have our kids outside in the middle of winter in a stroller. Cheers!
We're no longer part of nature as we don't survive with nature, we're no longer symbiotic with nature. I think there's a big difference from those who seek out hiking from their own interest and curiosity than those who are following the fashionable Instagram crowd, hiking FOMO if you will. All that's going to happen is restrictions and financial costs will be put in place to curb overcrowding, bad behaviour and SAR resources. This is just going to get worse, not better, just like overtourism is. I recently saw a vlog at a Scottish Bothy where the ground outside was covered in excrement and used toilet paper, some people should just stay indoors playing video games. I never took cave paintings to be anything like grafitti, I see them as story telling, documenting the local flora and forna...which you'd need to know to survive...not some yoof 'expressing' themselves... And, I guess horses and pack animals have been using those trails a lot longer than you have...
I've been hiking since the 70's and my observation has been that covid caused the increase in trail use. It was almost overnight in 2020, went from just a few of us to difficult to find parking at the trail heads.
For sure. But is that a bad thing? The bad thing is that groups suddenly discovered that they can party and trash in campsites taking experiences away from others.
Not that I think Kyle would the whole time but I'd friggin love to hike with Kyle just to listen him trash talk stuff. Reminds me of some of the AllTrails 1* comments 😂 Long story short Kyle take my best friend and I on our first ADK thru hike!
I hate horse poop on the trail. I live and hike in Western Washington, and I sometimes encounter horse poop on the trail in fall, and the poop has mixed with rainwater and become this poop slurry in the middle of the trail. Its so gross. Horse people really should strap those horse manure collection bags to the back of their horse so they aren't pooping everywhere.
31:26 there is one of my favorite hikes that passes by some abandoned mining equipment from like 100 years ago, and it’s pretty neat, but it’s also easy to imagine what the place would look like without out that stuff…
On through hiking kids, I think it's like anything else...on one extreme it could verge on abusive to force a through hike on a kid, especially if they're also forced to carry too heavy of a pack. But there's the other side, children can and do discover interests on their own. I have 4 children and have always hiked, amongst other outdoor activities, but only recently took an interest in backpacking. And my 10 year old daughter wants to go just as much as I do! She begs!!! She watches RU-vid and many of the same things I do too! Though, until I have more experience (and money for a new kit for 2!) I won't be taking her. My biggest concern is making sure she doesn't carry too much weight. Never even considered what other people on the trail might think of a young child on trail...
I think everything's fine for the tracks except motorized vehicles. It really breaks the immersion, causes a pretty serious safety concern from people not respecting the speed limits, drinking and what not. And I hate to say it, but I do both and there's a lot of issues on that side in the motorized sport culture. I mean, lets be real, these things can really be dangerous. Especially if you get hit without even being on one. And it really destroys the trails, especially in the spring. ATV trails are a wreck compared to hiking trails. It's not as nice to walk on. And the whole point of hiking is going in nature and avoiding those kind of sounds and what not. It's nice that there's both, but I wouldn't want it to be the norm.
The argument 17:00 is just absurd nonsense. I do agree that the right to roam should be univeralised throughout the world as a human right. Meaning that no private entety can deny people access to non cultivated land anywhere. This is the path to conserving the nature we have left, and keeping us in contact with who we are as a speices. As a general rule; a human on foot can access pretty much all nature with a backpack and tent but doing so with as little impact as possible.
My only real concern is e-Bikes. Some of them haul butt and people get careless on them. I came close to being hit a few times. Once very close, by just a few inches. They come flying around blind curves. Talking smaller trails here.
So unfortunately there are alot of members in the offroad community that don't respect the trails or the outdoor community. Members that are more serious about the offroad world follow leave no trace, and also clean up trash along the way that we find while out. When I come out to the wilds Ether off road or hiking I'm there to be in nature not listen to music blasting. Everyone I go out with follows the same policy, we leave no trace, we don't create extra noise when at camp, if we do play music it's usually from a small bluetooth speaker in the seating area and volume is low. Unfortunately I see most the SXS community (Not all) are usually the ones that cause the most issues with noise and trash.
The swampy place in the Apalachicola National Forest is called Bradwell Bay. I mountain biked through with my mountain bike group back in the late 1980s. We did it without social media influence. Had to shoulder our bikes for most of the way through the swamp. Would have been nice to have a sign to tell us not to do that. Memorable without filming.
The overcrowding will subside in a year or two, this is a fad and like most fads they fade away. Hiking, backpacking and thru-hiking will level out eventually.
I’ve been backpacking for over 35 years. In that time I’ve seen more and more people on the trails with each passing year. It used to be, and to a degree still is, dominated by white dudes. In the past five years, I’ve seen a lot more women (group and solo) hikers, and now I’m seeing minorities. The last hike I guided was 50-50 men and women, and I had a guy from India and a woman from China. There’s still a huge lack of diversity on trail and given population demographics that’s a lot of people to keep the increasing trend alive for years to come. I thought kids spending their time playing video games would put an end to outdoor participation for a generation but as those kids grow up they’re looking for more genuine, non-virtual, real experiences. I don’t see anything leveling out anytime soon.
If it does level out it won’t be for a good long while. I do hope that it becomes more than just mostly white folks who go. It shouldn’t be considered a “privileged” activity.
Covid also blew outdoorsy stuff up in a terrible way with bored citidiots who couldn’t go to bars and shit looking for more to do. Like a little example was a little spot near where I live called Burleigh falls is just a pretty rapid/falls section of a river. People would usually at most stop and walk around/take photos in the summer on the way to their cottages as like a scenic drive excursion but it is NOT a public park nor does it have the infrastructure (washrooms etc) to be one. Well first covid summer it got so swamped with people parking along the road and having barbecues and shit for the whole day there and got destroyed with garbage, coal dumping, people shitting along the edge of water, throwing diapers in the bushes, etc. that for the following few years the city has the MNR officers stake out around there and ticket anyone that tries to even go to the little falls. Unnatural popularity ruined that aspect for everyone.
@@Walkerxy that is sucky. I hate when people trash a nice nature hangout spot. On one of the trails near me there is a creek that has a cool swimming hole certain times of the year. It’s a mile and a half walk in. It’s amazing how many folks can carry in cans of beer and things like whole water melons but can’t carry out empties or rinds.
Millennials seem to be burdened with the concept of authenticity all of this is about whether or not things are authentic, that's a pretty good place to be in history where we are so hyperconscious of something potentially ruining our experience simply because it did not fit the image of what we thought it would be if it was all natural.
Nothing better than spending time in a hut with a bunch of hunters, drinking some beers etc. And most of the time you can join or let your kids experience the hunting.
IMO Intentional Yellow Blazing (barring things outside of your control) = not completing. If you go run a marathon & take a cab to skip miles of it... You did not run a marathon
Living in small town Arizona and being able to be in the scouts is how I learned I probably have older backpacker magazines then half of you and I'm only 40 that's how I learned about it 😊
Hey Kyle--re the kids on trail segment, check out 32 Feet Up if you haven't, especially Not Oatmeal. It completely depends on the kids and the grownups, putting the kids absolutely first, and listening honestly/acting accordingly. Similar to hiking with dogs--teaching trail etiquette is a requirement, and putting their safety first, always. Great show!
Hike safe card...a hard sell...but I wish more people did that...turn around times.. essential! I'm not an atv rider...but as an ice and rock climber and hiker..."They...the ATV and Snow mobile crew...pay the Fish and game rescue bill ...along with hunting and fishing licenses...it's a controversial topic...but damn that's not fair....
i've never come across horses on the trail but i have dealt with mountain bikers. the bikers have always been super polite but some of the areas can be pretty dangerous to pass. one time some friends and i were hiking on a mountain and on one side of the trail was a steep drop, the other side a similarly steep incline, and the trail itself was pretty narrow. some mountain bikers came up behind us and it's really hard to get out of the way so neither party falls off a cliff in that situation.
another aspect of 'technology' is exposure of these places via social media. There's a local landmark that became popular via social media. The trail used to be deserted. Now people come from all over the state and even worldwide. In that case, I don't think GPS/Satellite/Cell phones played a big role in the increase of traffic (just social media exposure). Social media is a huge factor - back then the big trails were legendary. It was harder to get information about them, much less 100's of videos of every mile of the PCT (and the PCT is relatively tame navigation-wise). And besides navigation, apps give advance notice of _real time_ water situation (FarOut trails), and a way of communicating to arrange rides or other help. This is huge. On the other hand, all you have to do is look back in time to see the trail impact of devices like GPS and cell phones. There simply weren't as many people hiking these trails. Smart phones weren't around when handheld GPS's were first available. Apps like FarOut were waaay later. Yeah there's a bunch of youtubers that wouldn't be out there. Don't kid yourself on that one.
We go hiking because we love to go out and go hiking. It’s our passion and what we do. Search and rescue is often people who volunteer. They don’t do it so they can never save anyone. It is their passion and they actually do like to use their skills. I still think you should only use it if your likelyhood of saving yourself is not good.
I carry a Garmin InReach in Australia when hiking mainly for snake bites. Chances are pretty low, but don't want to be kilometres from a trail head and be in that situation. All those years without one feels so sketchy when thinking about it.
9:47 popularity of outdoor recreation it is a double-edged sword. On the one hand it is bad because of the environmental degradation that is so obvious, especially at higher altitude areas, where it takes plants a lot longer to grow. On the other hand if you have more people who are passionate about the outdoors then you have more people willing to vote for increased taxation to fund public conservation initiatives that will ultimately protect the land that much better.
Surprised you didn't go into the one I've come across...the weird dislike of YouTuiber/Social Media Hikers in some parts of the hiking community. It's a hardcore, but they really think we don't walk the walk and just take gear and backhanders and don't do what we say we do. Which is total crap....of course we hike and camp! A few maybe are 'backyard hikers' but most YT hike/backpack community get out there, or have a history of doing so, and don't always film it...
Talk when you see a horse! They are timid in general and fearful be ause they are prey animals. Predators don't make noise so if you make noise and don't hide behind a tree they know you're not a cougar
Ok so 1st question! 😂 My answer is a little complicated, or maybe philosophical lol, because I would not even know about thru-hiking if it wasn’t for social media, so no I wouldn’t go. 🤷🏻♀️ so it’s a positive aspect as far as spreading awareness to us who ‘live under a rock’. 😆 And No- being recognized on social media is not why I would do it. I most likely would still be as intrigued if I had come across an article in an outdoor magazine or something
There's a trail nearby that is a cross country mountain bike trail it's OK sharing the trail I usually try to go in April where there are less people biking because there's snow at the top of the trail and I try to avoid weekends so there are less bikers one thing that has bugged me slightly because I'll step off the trail and 3 people pass and the last one says there's 2 more people and each one takes 2 minutes to pass it gets a little annoying when that happens every ten minutes it took me soo long to get to a point where I was getting picked up a 6 hour day became like a 9 mile day not a huge deal but it did get kind of old and one time I had a guy bombing around a corner and if it weren't for what felt like "dad like reflexes" my dog would have got hit by the biker It was right at the end of the turn for them or the start of the turn for me and I spotted the biker out of the corner of my eye and in a split second I was able to grab my dogs harness then lift and move him off the trail before he got smashed thay was a little close to comfort for me to be fair the biker did apologize and this particular trail is known for mountain bikers so I knew what I was getting into for the most part it's been fine sharing.... the waiting is a tiny gripe but if someone ran over my dog like the 1 close call I had that would be a massive problem for me and the biker I'm very thankful it didn't get to that point .... if it had I'm not so sure I could have kept my cool
Yes, of course other species does modify their environment. But when an elephant mows down a tree, or grazing animals eat all the grass in a particular area, migrating animals make trails, these are not ecosystems being irrevocably damaged, a birds nest blows away in a couple seasons and at the end of the day is just a pile of sticks and leaves. Humans doing sports enter spaces that have no natural systems to deal with the damage that we create. High altitude for example, there are no natural systems to deal with solid human waste above like 6000 or 7000 feet up. We also often bring materials with us that are not natural and have no natural means to break down. Plastic bottles are a great example, or microscopic materials that come off of our clothing (like PFAs and microplastics) or are excreted from our bodies (like food additives, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics). Elephants and elk can severely disrupt their ecosystems, but humans can completely and irrevocably destroy them.
Before social media people still did things and found out about things it was more through magazines though and Word of Mouth I met my first Appalachian Trail hiker in 1976 at 6 years old so some of us had a long time awareness of the trails
overcrowding was already an issue, which is why (at least in the Sierra’s) permitting goes back to well before social media. Perhaps this while help get more public lands for people to venture in to to reduce the overcrowding. “how much should be allowed”: What is the local sustainable carrying capacity of that area? how quickly can it heal from the human impact?? although if more people would practice LNT, that would help reduce impact and could increase carrying capacity. Gonna have to nit pick the beaver thing, Beavers are a keystone species, the dams beavers build actually reduce wildfire and improve overall water quality, but that is as you sort of called out species modifying their environment however for the better. If kids can do it, more powah to em!! I did my first solo long walk at 13, but then things were cooler in the 80s. I love how you keep picking on paragliders, don’t goto Europe, there is paragliding everywhere in the Alps 😂😂😂. Education is key to most of the topics you hit on, educate why the “groups” need to work together, especially if it means we could get more public lands for people to head out in to. To your bits about the Garmin stuff (specifically decision making) and given your run or morbid pods earlier this year, go check out “Lost Person Behavior”. Its the goto Search Theory book for dealing with lost hikers. This might give you some insight on why/how people do end up in certain situations
I am retired and on the trail nearly every day hiking. Common sense and courtesy and proper trail etiquette is what I experience most often. The worst thing that pisses me off are people with dogs who bag up their poo but then leave the bag like it’s someone elses responsibility. I love dogs but these people need to stay off the trails.
For my father, who had spent weeks building the trails in Wind River Natl. Park, it waa the motor bikers who'd tear a trail up in one day. It was a rare occasion but one that had my dad steaming for years and years. He wasn't that upset at the hippes who had a rainbow gathering by the tundra one year. They had not left pollution except for digging a latrine way too close to a pristine mountain lake. That was not considerate on a microorganism level. I can't stand that highway to Rocky National Park. 😢 People should have to earn seeing the tundra. It is too valuable and next to God imo. It's really Shoshone Ntl Park and has two trailheads to gorgeous 14ers and aqua lakes.
lmfao I went way to long, doubt anyone will read this but whatever these are good topics lol I like this kind of content with hikers 1.) Social Media: I was highly influenced by the Eco-Challenge growing up, I think media is a good thing but I prefer actual activity content over JUST branding/advertising content. 2.) With environmental impact: I struggle with the same notion, I absolutely hate seeing buildings and other non essential merchandise oriented franchises being placed on top of popular peaks, the train on Mount Washington for handicapped people can look cringe for instance but would be more understandable versus seeing bathrooms/a hot chocolate & food stand after people hike several miles to see it's views was just stupid capitalistic awful to me. It would be like hiking MT Everest and seeing a McDonalds' at the top to me idk sounds delicious but it takes away from the experience. With just foot traffic I literally see the earth being molded around where people have traversed and I don't know if limiting traffic or having alternate camping/routes per year is the answer. 3.) With wildlife: more severe punishments for people for sure, It isn't fair a bear will be euthanized for something he was taught last spring by a negligent hiker. They even give classes at the beginning of the year to deter idiots and teach newbies but maybe they should come with a contract to sign and fingerprinting idk lol. Rangers suddenly become crime sleuths for wildlife. People who "cannot care" about it don't usually care because it' doesn't impact them personally but Maybe it should 🤔. 4.) Hiking with Kids: You might want to make sure your kid even likes camping/hiking first lol. IF you're a good parent and your child actually has a love for the outdoors/physical activity daily I think it could be a wonderful only at their pace experience, On the contrary: No one wants to see buddy fall off a cliff bc Susan had to accomplish her dreams, No one wants to see Susie Jr. crying and being drug through the mud bc Doug wanted an endorsement deal and to follow his either. With "friends" all kids are different which is why I think it should depend on the child. Definitely think a triple crown would be insane in one year with a kid but idk, If it's YOUR dream and them wanting to quit would infringe upon that then don't take them is my opinion. I would also suggest smaller trails like the Pinhoti before embarking on something so major like the AT as well. Also avoiding certain areas/hostels for sure if they are unsafe beyond the normal means. I think hiking a purest hike would be way more difficult and shouldn't be the expectation if a child joins you for sure but I'm not against it. It can be a good experience just remember at the end of the day they are kids. 5.)Sharing the trail: I live in Alabama, hunters are everywhere. I respect them, but I'd love the same comfort of knowing the feeling is mutual and sadly sometimes though rarely here it isn't. I sometimes wish certain trails could have like a split week custody arrangement like mon/tues/wed/ is hunting thurs/fri/sat is hikers only and Sunday god can determine your fate idk lol just to avoid incidents bc There is nothing more unsettling than having a group of hunting dogs come running towards and around you and hearing gun fire behind them. haha dude I totally found a lamp and mattress near a lake once and was like "Nope!". lol 6.) "cruise over", nice you yellow blazed your own controversial topic. Yellow blazing is just wrong to me unless its for environmental reasons, Fires, trail erosions/ Injury or like dangerous Wildlife hazards where you like have to leave trail, or I guess if you aren't labeling yourself a thru-hiker it's fine. I've seen people ONLY hike to certain "known" zones from the road. Snap a picture and get back in their vehicle and literally skip everything in-between bc they just didn't want to hike it. THAT bothers tf out of me for some reason lol. 7.) I would still 100% go out many places bc I love the feeling of just being out there, BUT I wouldn't likely be able to go as far per day by any means. (granted at this point I'm still just a weekend warrior saving for my adventure) My opinion my change later lol. 8.) Anyone feeling bold should watch Dixie's coverage of pushing the button, that gps is mainly to find you. Sometimes in dangerous zones they can't get to you. So definitely think of that too when making dangerous decisions. 9.) The point of hiking: Views, Challenge, being outdoors and enjoying it, slowing down my stress in everyday life in a weird way. Just focusing on my base needs of survival, for confidence and to say I did it I guess.
This one won't be popular but way too many hiker feeds. They almost outnumber Dollar Generals on the AT. Takes away from the experience when there's one at every road crossing. I appreciate the intent completely but there's just too many of them now.
I don't like dog walkers with the dog off leash and mountain bikers on trails....cos they often bomb at you or bark/threaten you....horse riders are usually chill.
I’ve seen backcountry volleyball. There a beach that’s a four mile walk minimum from trailheads, twelve miles from the nearest town. Rich douchebags from town bring their motorboats to this beach, anchor off of it, bring their boom boxes onto the beach, even set up a net and play volleyball at times. Everyone else there has walked in, maybe kayaked, and is enjoying a quiet backcountry experience, trying to get away from what these folks are bringing into the backcountry.
Dude should just go back and do that section he missed, right? I mean, if it weighs on him. It's not like he didn't walk the other 2,100 miles so no big deal to me.
