Call me an Ogre or Behind the Times

[Arthur]

I think most of us on this forum are dedicated to protecting nature, wildlife, the environment and keeping the wild parts of our country wild.  One thing that really violates this for me is being 20 miles from a trailhead with all the serenity of the surroundings being ruined by a drone zooming over my head and looking down at me.   In reviewing the 2020 BPL film festival entries, most of them had drone shots.   I am discouraged by this precedent and encouragement of the practice, legal or not.

[Kattt]

I think your sentiment is genuine but 20 miles from a trailhead is not “wild”; trails take people to maintain them so there is a constant reminder of human presence right there. I am not particularly fond of drones but there are lots of things done out in the country that I am not fond of, so it’s one more thing II will have to live with.

[Pedestrian]

Firearms are legal in the back country in many places; one option is to take down every drone you see flying around you where you feel they don’t belong.

 

;-)

Just be prepared for MAD when the drones have defensive weapons to fire back at you.

 

 

[Tom K]

“Just be prepared for MAD when the drones have defensive weapons to fire back at you.”

Worse yet, for your own destruction when the drone comes equipped with AI, sees you pulling out your gun, and gets the first shot in.  ;-((

 

[Arthur]

Where I hike, 20 miles off the trailhead is wild and I often don’t use or need trails.

[AK Granola]

Thank god there aren’t drones flying where I’m hiking. I’ll be joining the ogre support group when that changes.

[Paul Wagner]

It has nothing to do with miles from the trailhead.  All motorized equipment is prohibited in designated wilderness areas.  I fully agree with OP and have confronted people flying drones in the wilderness.  And I’ll do it again if I see it…

[Tom K]

Darned if they don’t look a lot like clay pigeons…………………..  ;-)

[Ken Thompson]

Jets, bright colors, speakers, musical instruments, other people…

[Roger Caffin]

Found on the web.

Cheers

[David Thomas]

While, in general, I’m opposed to drones in wilderness areas, they are less obnoxious than hikers blaring music from their devices for all to hear (that’s what your earbuds are for!).

And, yes, most drones you see are just some hobbyist playing with their toy, but some are being used for legitimate, useful purposes.  My utility had a drone to inspect the lines – some sections of lines don’t follow the roads and it’s safer and cheaper to send the drone then put linemen on four-wheelers.  And some areas, like swamps, can’t be accessed at all until winter when the ground freezes.  It was a very nice drone – programable routes, infrared camera for detecting tree contacts and bad insulators.  It cost $3,000.  The operator got the official FAA drone operator license which is almost akin to the knowledge test for a private pilot’s license.

You may notice I’m speaking in the past tense.  Yup, someone shot it down, when it passed by their property (while entirely within our right of way, where we have the right to have our equipment).  So there’s a criminal case proceeding against him.

In a national forest, I could imagine agency personnel or researchers using drones to track tagged animals, survey vegetation, check trail conditions, conducted a SAR operation, etc.

Yes, most drones are just doing stupid stuff for someone’s vanity.  But a few of them are being used responsibly to do useful work.

[Franco Darioli]

is there a lighter version ?

[AK Granola]

I can see the utility of using drones for many purposes. I guess it’s a question of how much, and how often? I was once doing my daily business in Denali, two days of hiking into a remote area without trails, when suddenly a sight-seeing helicopter flew directly over, and circled me, flying way too low. I’m sure some tourists have closeups of my backside in action. I made sure to cover my face anyway!! If it’s in your photo album let me know.

Anyway, drones can be a similar invasion of privacy. If they’re only doing what they’re supposed to be doing, as you say David, inspecting the power lines, that’s all fine. But like phones, some people don’t respect others while using them. My gym now has signs everywhere banning phones from the shower rooms. I can only imagine what caused those signs to be posted.

[James Marco]

A drone drop every day while on the trail would let me hike LIGHTER! Right now, they are illegal in primitive and wilderness areas of NY. Let’s hope they remain that way. Even to overfly those areas when launced from a road, they still require a FAA permit.

[Roger Caffin]

In case anyone has not guessed it, the Anti-Drone ad was a joke, many years ago.
Cheers

[Pedestrian]

In case anyone has not guessed it, the Anti-Drone ad was a joke, many years ago.

Unfortunately it appears humor is a rapidly depleting resource……

 

[Ken Thompson]

I’m 20 miles from a trailhead now.

[Dave Heiss]

Slightly off topic but drones are only the most recent aerial intrusion we get to deal with in the backcountry. I remember hiking with a buddy into Dusy Basin in the Sierra on a late Autumn trip and we had the whole damn basin to ourselves. We were eating an early dinner and enjoying some amazing peace and quiet until two Air Force jets screamed through a gap in the surrounding peaks and cut through the basin at such a low altitude we could see the pilot’s faces. Scared the #%@& out of us, and the echoes of the jet roar reverberated across the basin for quite a while after they disappeared.

Very memorable, but not in a good way.

[Jerry Adams]

I’ve had that before in the wilderness – screaming jets practicing flying close to the ground

Quiet – all of a sudden the loudest possible noise – quickly disappears.

Since it only happened once I thought it was cool.

I frequently backpack on the Deschutes River.  There’s a railroad track on the other side of the river.  Maybe twice a day a train will go by.  Quite noisy reverberating in the canyon.  Since it’s only twice a day I consider it a feature of that hike.

Sometimes I camp close to the Columbia River.  Constant freeway/train noise.  That is obnoxious.  If I hike even a mile away it’s much quieter.

[Paul Wagner]

“I’m 20 miles from a trailhead now.”

If you have access to a computer, you’re on the wrong side of the sign…

[Ken Thompson]

The OP did not specify.  Never mentioned Wilderness Area.

 

[Arthur]

One issue is the drones in the wilderness.  The other issue is that it appears BPL is turning a blind eye or even supporting the drones in the wilderness by having shots by drones in many of the 2020 film festival entries.  Maybe I just have to get used to it.

[David Thomas]

We’ve had fire-fighting operations (observer and water-drop aircraft) shut down due to drones in the area.  It wasn’t for long – a few hours – but hundreds of personnel, thousands of dollars of costs, acres of forest and people’s homes are at greater risk if fire managers can’t respond when conditions otherwise allow.

[Kattt]

We should just allow mountain bikes on wilderness trails and get it over with.

ps for the old timers here

[BlackHatGuy]

“As I went walking I saw a sign there,
And on the sign it said “No Trespassing.”
But on the other side it didn’t say nothing.
That side was made for you and me.”

[Author]

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