In writing this post, I hope to start a thought provoking discussion for a problem that has no clear answer, but please bear with me. With the emergence of social media advertising the locations of previously pristine natural wonders, there has been a corresponding and exponential increase in traffic in wilderness areas. This increase in traffic has brought with it some unintended consequences. My question is this: Should we keep some of these hidden treasures to ourselves, or should we share for all to experience?
Personally, I’m at a quandary. Recently, I’ve had many hiking colleagues advise that I keep the places I hike to myself, sharing only pictures, or at most, only divulge the general locations of these areas. On one hand, I want to share my experiences with others, so that they may too enjoy the wonders of nature. Afterall, it is not my land, but our land. I believe that by sharing our special places, we ensure more people will enjoy the backcountry and fight to conserve it.
In a perfect world, this would seem to be the right choice. But alas, we do not live in a perfect world. Some worship nature and do their part to conserve it by leaving no trace and also defend it against those who try to destroy it. Unfortunately, there are also people who do not respect nature and leave their marks on the environment through not heeding to LNT principles. Trash, human waste, and destruction of nature are the aftermath of their visits into the wilderness. Just the sheer volume of noise that can come from a single, large group can cause despair for people like me, who cherish the silence of the forest and desire to hear the natural sounds that come from being in nature. This is also the impact of wildlife and the land itself that we need to consider. While the negatives are many, there are also many positives …. continued after poll
More people are getting outdoors. They are becoming physically and mentally healthier, which leads to less of a burden on our medical system. More will fight to keep our wilderness areas safe from exploitation. More will reuse, recycle, and reduce waste. More will research future technologies for a cleaner environment. More will consider the future impact of what we do today. But some won’t and those are the ones I worry about. Those are the ones that I want to shield my secret, less traveled spots from. It’s not about the ones who appreciate nature. It’s about the ones who don’t.
There are a couple of personal experiences that have driven my desire to discuss this openly. One is my annual hike to San Bernardino Peak. Before it became a popular destination with various online hiking groups, I used to see only a handful of people on the trail. This was a place where I could go to immerse myself in the wonders of the world without a boombox blaring, without a group of 30 people taking over the trail, without trash littering the camp. It was unspoiled, but sadly this is no longer the case.
Another example I have is on the John Muir Trail. The amount of feces and toilet paper on the trail is astounding. People don’t spend the time to pack their paper out or dig a hole deep enough that their TP and excrement won’t be uncovered. Near Muir Pass, we camped under the safety of a huge rock during a torrential downpour and thunderstorm. My hiking buddy stepped in human waste, and later we discovered several more disgusting treasures throughout the area where we had sought refuge. It was very disheartening, and extremely unsanitary for all of us.
In my opinion, there is no reason for this wanton disregard and disrespect of nature. Why is this happening? Is it due to nature has becoming so accessible to many? Is it the lack of education regarding proper etiquette when people visit these wonderful and magical places?
I’m all for sharing the locations I love, but I’m also adamant in ensuring that they stay pristine and beautiful. Respecting and taking care of nature is so important. Each of us doing our part to preserve and conserve is paramount. Spreading the word of leaving the land like we found it, reducing the amount of people in a group, doing our part in protecting our environment is the answer. Will you do your part? Are we doing nature a disservice by inviting more to join us, or are we helping our generation and future generations by getting more involved in the outdoors? Are we able to continue sharing those places we hold dear, or should we just post pictures and give the locations to a discreet few? What do you do with your special places that you consider to be your paradise…The Untold Secret: To share or not to share? That is the question. Is there really an answer?
Written by: Yolanda Nowicki (SoloYolo)
Blog site: www.traildustdirtygirl.com
Lori Reynolds
I am also on the fence about this issue. Lately though I am leaning toward just giving a general description or area such as Eastern Sierra and I tend to ignore requests for details. I love to take pictures and share them so that people who may not be able to get to these areas can see how beautiful it is out there. Over the past 15 years I have seen many of the trails in my area more and more used and abused. I get irritated when I see people camping next to the trail or leaving orange peels all over. As usual the ones that abuse the LNT rules are the least likely to visit a site that teaches or talks about them. So I am frustrated as to the solution to this but will continue to talk about LNT to everyone I come in contact with so that I at least feel that I am making some contribution however small it may be.
TheHikingGeek
Hi Lori,
Thanks for your feedback. Good on you for spreading LNT … I admit, I didn’t know much about it just a few years ago.
Kathy Glans
Lived in the Sierra all my life. Been visiting eastern sierra for last 30 yrs. Within the last 5 I’ve seen so much change and downfall that I rarely tell anyone outside of family and close friends about its beauty let alone social media. Will never go there. The traffic, litter, the destruction of nature, rudeness of people, speeding on back roads, campers with absolutely no etiquette at all. It’s really sad, and really scary. I think all these forums on facebook r the worst thing ever. Even some of the members are horribly disrespectful of nature I’ve found. And they use these forums.
TheHikingGeek
Hi Kathy,
Thanks for your input!
I’m curious, how do you feel about someone sharing pictures/locations through a blog (like this), but not sharing the post on social media?
Thanks!
Jack LeMenager
The best way to discover these idyllic places is through experience. There’s nothing quite like coming over a pass you’ve never crossed and seeing below you a pristine necklace of aquamarine lakes, especially if you “discovered” it on your own. It’s not the same when you read about it and trekked there as instructed.
It’s sort of like making a tough hike to the top of a mountain while there’s a car road on the other side. You get to the top after your grueling hike and quietly relish the moment and the view while catching your breath–until a car pulls up. The people pile out, snap a few selfies, get back in their car and drive back down. Their experience is completely foreign to the hiker’s. Could I be accused of being an elitist. Sure. But the difference between the two experiences is what I’m trying to find on my own.
TheHikingGeek
Your 2nd paragraph reminds of me Mt. Washington in NH. There is an auto road to the top. I remember someone saying that he’d never hike it again. When he got to the top, he was standing next to an extremely obese man smoking a cigarette.
Jack LeMenager
Actually, it was Mt. Washington I was thinking of, since I live in the Boston area.
But I remember when I backpacked down the National Trust Trail along the Cornish coast in England, one of the most spectacular places on earth. The trail is very hilly. Lots of steep ups and downs. I remember after an especially grueling uphill climb arriving at an amazing vista point with 180-plus degrees of ocean view, standing at about 400 or 500 feet above the crashing waves. I dropped my pack, sat down with my bottle of water and quietly took it all in.
There was a public road that also went to the vista point and, of course, up pulled a car. Everyone jumped out, oohed and aahed. Took a bunch of pictures of themselves, talked loudly, and departed. I was left with the silence, solitude and beauty by myself, once again. And I realized that my experience on that vista point was diametrically opposite that of the people in that car.
Valerie
It’s been our experience as day hikers in the Eastern Sierra ,most of the people are within 2 miles of the parking . We do hike in a less well known area and sometimes only see 1 or 2 people if it’s further than 2 miles out . Yesterday the only people we saw were within a mile of their cars . I have used a local backpackers blog as a guide for some of the not so well known areas nearby . I’m glad they shared the information . If we do a good hike I do share it with local friends but no other social media .
John Hayek
It’s way past yes or no answer. ALL of the scenic places have been discovered by now. Plus anyone can get on the internet and search for almost any area. You are not going to change the way idiots behave because most of them nowadays have been raised by irresponsible parents. Just do your best in educating those that you can. I only discuss where I have been to take photos with close friends who I know will take care and be responsible.
Jeff Mitchum
Never ! There’s plenty of well documented places for people to wander. By not divulging new places we’re not being selfish but motivating people to explore their own. Much more satisfying.
I get hundreds of request to disclose my private locations. Even my own private property which is one of the wonders of the Eastern Sierras. Politely I share if I do this will become another Yosemite traffic jam. Sooooooooo, no don’t do it.
D Carpenter
Our parks, trails and open spaces are being destroyed by overuse by people. Popular social media has opened up previously minimally know areas to millions of people; many who wouldn’t have come without the media hype. I wish people would not post about those iconic and lesser known areas.
RichardLA
In regards to sharing these best kept secret places, I say to use your own discretion and only share with like-minded people who know a good thing when they see one, and will respect and preserve said good thing. You are also correct that it’s not “my land” but rather everyone’s land. With the wrong exposure it won’t be anyone’s land. Maybe not in our lifetime but in generations to come.
Putting too much on social media has resulted with “unintended consequences” as you put it. Information getting into the wrong hands. Some people shouldn’t be allowed outside their front door. Sorry, but it’s a sad fact in this day and age. These are the people that screw up a good thing for everyone else.
Justin Philip Nash
I think this is a reflection of a larger issue: the world is over populated now. Think about it. Humanity in its current iteration (some argue that civilization is only 3 to 5 thousand years old… others argue that it is millions of years old however goes through iterations with each major extinction or climate change event like ice ages) has reached a turning point. Think back to the 1800’s. Landscape painting was an industry. It was the way for the European Westerners to catch a glimpse of the “untamed” wilderness and exotification of the South Pacific. Then came along photography. Ansel Adams. And in literature, Jack London. At this time, there was still a sense of mystery and awe and wonder. So these brave artists were providing a public need. And they could do so shamelessly, because at their time, the hoards and masses were limited to horses and carriages, or in Adams’ case windy, rudimentary roads built for the first automobiles (which were still somewhat exclusive to the elite only until after the 30’s). So these people never had to even reckon with this conundrum. It’s a sad fact of the world we live. There are just too many of us. There are too many cars. Too many roads. Too many everything. So what happens now? It’s a turning point. We must recognize it. As artists and lovers of nature and stewards of the planet, it’s a shift. It’s a change in perspective. We can’t carry on the legacy and attitudes of even a John Muir type because those people all lived in the past. It’s going to take serious leadership, introspective soul searching, and even a bit of sacrifice, to learn how to navigate this new world.
Robert Perkins
I take a ‘middle ground’ approach to telling people about places and routes in the Sierras. I have no problem telling others about nice places, but am intentionally vague on the details on how to get to them 😉 I do this for many reasons. Without knowing someone’s capabilities for route finding, exposure risk, physical abilities I don’t encourage them by making it sound easier than it is, and 2- it’s part of the fun and excitement actually reasearching and studying off piste routes, making it much more enjoyable.
Joe The Toe
An excellent read, Yolo!!! Share amounst friends. But those who follow the same trail of dreams….BE RESPECTFUL…Rock On Sista!!! Letting the dust settle is a sin