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Sharing (Or Not) Locations and Logistics on the Web.
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Nov 11, 2013 at 9:50 pm #2043597
Swimming with gators…that's therapy in Louisiana. Replace all your nervous ticks with one big fear?
Nov 11, 2013 at 9:51 pm #2043598"How selfish. You should have to share them with everyone."
Shame on selfish ol' Nick!
BTW, I saw your post tonight about all the trails you are finding near your house. Pretty cool. See if you can find some old Topo maps of the area, try the library. I have found remnants of old trails that I put together with old maps that have been removed from newer versions. Sometimes they are old Native American trails.
Nov 12, 2013 at 7:27 am #2043650I figure if I share a location and other people visit it, it will be less likely to be clear cut.
And if I can encourage people go out in the wilderness more, they will develop a better attitude and start treating each other better which will ripple out and create world peace : )
Nov 12, 2013 at 8:02 am #2043661here is an alternative view for those who are hesitant to share their secret spots …
by sharing these spots and bringing in hoards of others who in your opinion destroy them for your private use, you are freeing yourself of the strings that tie you to these spots and allowing yourself to soar once again in search of something new and possibly even better. I would argue the search is much more valuable than the spot.Nov 12, 2013 at 8:17 am #2043668Art,
I alluded to that in my first post.
However, some of us have favorite places that are close to home and enable us to take quick one or two night trips without the logistics of driving somewhere far. You see, I have an inventory of around 140 days per year that can potentially be used for outdoor pursuits. Unfortunately (or fortunately) 104 of them are 2-day weekends, which is why you rarely see me posting here on weekends — I am usually backpacking or camping.
Nov 12, 2013 at 8:49 am #2043680Really depends. On the coast, there are so many people, you may want to keep your nature stash secret. In the interior west, most are drawn to the high-points (along crests and going up to peaks), hot springs, camps with reliable water, etc.. though I know some hiking parties who specially try to find un-maintained trails and try to get more traffic going through to support keeping more wilderness. Of course many trails have been burnt in the last few years of mega-fire, so the point may be moot.
Louisiana can be nice this time of year if you can find some dry land to camp. Gets cold and damp in December though.
Ed: locales
Nov 12, 2013 at 9:29 am #2043694Backpacker Magazine (yes, that paragon of outdoor virtue and wisdom) addressed this issue a few years ago, saying something to the effect that traffic to locations that they profiled would increase for a year or two afterwards but then would die back down to normal.
That said, a good falls or secret pool relatively near a major metropolitan area is probably best kept on "close hold" (trusted friends only).
I recently put together some route info for trips in the San Gorgonio Wilderness in S. Calif. These are all on trail trips with quota based wilderness permits required. It'll be interesting to see if visitation to these places increases. I did take one short cut off after Nick dunned me about the ears. :)
Nov 12, 2013 at 9:32 am #2043695"BTW, I am going hiking in Louisiana in a couple of weeks — any advice on alligators?"
Yeah, don't get eaten.
There is no limit to super cool places and routes that connect them together. The fun is stitching together a cool route then seeing if reality comes close to the plan. If you are just following a trip report with pictures, it takes the unknown out the trip for the most part.
Nov 12, 2013 at 3:56 pm #2043836AnonymousInactive"There is no limit to super cool places and routes that connect them together. The fun is stitching together a cool route then seeing if reality comes close to the plan."
+1 big time! That's where the fun is.
Nov 12, 2013 at 5:05 pm #2043864The OP mentioned that "secret spots" are part of the surfing culture — same thing in the climbing world. Sometimes the person who put up a sport route (not visible from a road) will keep it strictly sworn to secrecy for as long as possible.
In general, these things are largely self-screening: the more off-trail and difficult-to-get-to a place is, the fewer people you'll see. Even in Grand Canyon, we often spend multiple days in the backcountry seeing only one other group, and often seeing no one! Let me tell you, Surprise Valley in June is NOT crowded! ;~)
But honestly, even if you think that "no one has ever been to my secret spot" — you're probably wrong. I have been bushwhacking DEEP in the backcountry in several states and found an old pen. or an old rusted can, etc. Many of us who search for indian ruins in the SW would NOT want to disturb them. We just look, take photos, and move on — and we leave no trace.
Nov 14, 2013 at 12:59 pm #2044569Here in the crowded Northeast of NJ/NY/E.PA, it is difficult to find some quality spots.
With 2 little girls at home, I have a difficult time getting away for some "me time". And when I do, I often try and go early, so I don't miss much of the day. Also, things can tend to get a little crowded here – especially at places just off the interstates. I've managed to find some great spots at my local state park (though I now need to share it with MTBers), local game lands, some other state parks within 75min drive, and even some county and "private" open space places too.
Because of my infrequent venturing, and short window to do so, I am increasingly keeping these places close to my chest. I used to be a hike leader for the AMC, but have since shied away from that, and rather than sharing my places, I have tried to keep them secret. Additionally – and since I am such an introvert – I tend to enjoy the woods either alone or in a tiny group of close friends. I tend to not like the 'social' nature of the group-led AMC hikes. Also, I like to do my outings at my pace ("fast") and start time ("early"), and would rather not want to cater to the needs of a larger group (late start, slow pace, all-day adventure).
EDIT: I'd like to add that on a recent outing to my local Nat.Rec. Area, I was able to find some trails to give me the mileage and solitude that I desired. I didn't see another person until the return end of my loop (along popular trails). Bliss.
Lastly, I want to try and keep my favorite places to myself, and then share them (and the reasons why I like them) with my girls when the time comes. Sharing the places with too many other people might sully the "specialness" that sharing the secret place with my girls would bring.
Nov 15, 2013 at 12:13 am #2044770I don't share where I go. I like secrets and solitude.
Nov 19, 2013 at 4:06 pm #2046269"In general, these things are largely self-screening: the more off-trail and difficult-to-get-to a place is, the fewer people you'll see."
I agree with this. In my neck of the woods, 5 miles screens out most of the hordes. Once you get past the 5 mile mark (from the trailhead) you're pretty much alone. Go off trail and you can be alone well before that. The more vertical gain, the quicker the crowds disappear. I do most of my hiking in the mountains, for that reason.I love reading trip reports, but completely understand when people choose not to divulge exact locations. I just like reading about the trip and seeing the photos.
Nov 21, 2013 at 8:47 am #2046849In general, in my area, even if something is well-publicized you can be fairly certain beyond the 5-10 mile mark you will not see another person. Go out on an ordinary weekend, not a holiday, and your odds increase that you won't see another person. I have a fairly popular website about local trails and still the typical conversation about any of the places I go is "where's that?" Usually followed by "you're crazy!" People go to the front country trails and that's about it.
Dec 3, 2013 at 7:43 pm #2050566Dec 3, 2013 at 8:02 pm #2050572+1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1…. Nick!
Billy
Dec 3, 2013 at 8:16 pm #2050577Agreed, Craig.
Dec 4, 2013 at 6:40 am #2050671My own personal rule-of-thumb is that if the place is on-trail and popular trails to begin with, I will share logistics.
But, as I found out the hard way, even if something is on-trail, people don't necessarily string together what seems obvious on a map. Once you lay out a route with the trails to take, you immediately make it accessible for the vast majority. A light bulb goes off for people and everything is easy: Take this map, take this trail, park here. Most people don't like to string together their own route.
I honestly love sharing. People ask me "What's a good hike in Colorado?" and I am happy to share.
It is generally how I operate: Share the food on my table generously. Do the little bit extra to help out. Share knowledge of what I love.
But, as I am finding out, when I innocently share what I love, perhaps I am ruining a small part of it? :)
I think there is a balance. After all, someone shared with my the route I took on my first backpacking trip. It was something he found out about through the local chapter of the Appalachian Mtn Club. That trip started a love for the outdoors that has never gone away.
On the other hand, perhaps it is best to give a sketch only. Not to give all the fine details?
I think it is great to share. I also think it is good to keep the wild places wild.
What is the balance? I sure as hell don't know. :)
Dec 8, 2013 at 10:30 am #2052061On the topic of finding a place but not telling anyone about it, I highly recommend folks track down this year's Banff Film Festival Grand Prize winner. 2 Norwegian surfers find a small beach north of the Artic Circle, and hike in to spend the *winter* surfing. They supplied themselves with outdated food, used only found items on the beach to construct a shelter and wood stove, bringing only a few tools and nails to string it together. They hiked out to their van to purchase/acquire food–they talked about using post-dated food because it was free. Their plan was to stay there through the winter and surf as much as they could. During their stay, they removed over 3 pounds of trash from the beach that had washed up, mostly plastics and stuff.
One of the guys specifically said they were not going to reveal where it was, because they wanted people to find their own paradise. Crazy couple of youngsters, but they did it. Personally, I think they had to be crazy to begin with–surfing in Norway? I think folks are nuts for surfing here in the Pacific Northwest, and that's warmer than Norway. But, it was really cool to see them work their dream.
edit: I found a place where folks can rent it:
Dec 9, 2013 at 2:55 pm #2052615…
Dec 22, 2013 at 3:33 am #2056779I'll tell you how to get there but I won't say where his other cave is.
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