Q: If I run into under-prepared people hiking a section of wilderness trail, how much pressure should I put on them to turn back?
Daniel Smith
Should I discourage people from hiking?
system
#2
IMHO, you should let them hike their own hike and come to conclusions on their own. It is different if they ask you for advice. What may seem under-prepared to you may not to them. You might offer suggestions of where they can get off and get help if they need it. Try any approach in a positive way.
Moon Man
system
#3
I say use your judgement. Two day hikers in shorts/cotton we “found” on Jefferson in below freezing wind chill and rain were half dead. We all but carried them down to the gap. Stupid is as…although tempting to ignore the silly peopleout there. Do some teaching and aim them to fortune and not disaster.
Bushwhack
system
#4
Like bushwacker said, you have to use your judgement. If there isn’t an immediate threat to thier well being, its likely they aren’t going to listen. OTOH, some people will be greatfull for advice from a more experianced hiker and some will be hostile to it. It won’t take long to realise which type they are. One way or the other, at least your consceince will be clear when you walk away. Not your fault if they die!
Slo-go’en
system
#5
As a relative novice I can tell you for me, it would all depend on the approach. “hey, nice day isn’t it? Been hiking long? No? Well something I’ve learned over the years is…” would get a much better response than “Whoa, I can’t believe you’re hiking this trail in those crappy boots!” would.
Journeyman
system
#7
It has been my experience that the only kind of advice that is every taken generally well is solicited advice. Unsolicited advice will typically make you look like a jerk, and people typically will choose not to listen to jerks.
This also greatly depends on which aspect in which they are not prepared to deal with. Is it going to get cold at night, and they only have summer gear? Do they seem physically inept, for the portion they have chosen to hike? Did they forget to bring food? It all really depends on the severity of their lack of preparation. Even with that in mind, you can just give them cautionary advice because it’s not your place to do anything else. Seriously, unless you are a park ranger, and have an official duty here, who are you to make those kinds of calls for other people?
If you do give advice, I would stress a more positive approach than negative. Instead of having the frame of mind as to how much pressure you should put on another person to quit hiking (which seems a little arrogant, honestly, when dealing with a complete stranger), maybe you should think of it more along the lines of how you can increase the awareness of what that person may be getting him/herself into. Chances are, if that person is indeed unprepared and has already made it to the wilderness without thinking things through, a complete stranger’s opinion may not really sway the person that much. So, just use your judgment, don’t be overbearing, and just give advice.
bearbait
system
#8
I can’t tell you how many times strangers on the trails told me I shouldn’t be hiking in sandals, or that my pack was too big.
People need time on the trail to figure out what works best for them. Sometimes they make different choices than the rest of the crowd, and sometimes they make some silly mistakes along the way. Don’t forget, though, that “experts” can make silly mistakes, too, and can get into trouble, even with the best of gear. Experienced hikers/climbers/etc. are rescued all the time.
We’re not out there to judge each other. Give help freely, and opinions sparingly.
Chipper
system
#9
Thanks for all your posts & I agree with them all, oddly enough.
Now, for the scenario…
I’m out for a weekend of hiking/camping/exploring the Goat Rocks on the PCT in Central Washington. As we ate breakfast we watched from a distance as two hikers slowly picked their way along the trail.
After breakfast, we headed up the trail with day packs, caught up to them, exchanged pleasantries, & passed them by. We dilly dallied, took side trails, ate lunch & looked at the scenery, always wondering where “those guys” were, because they weren’t catching up.
Finally, as we sat contemplating the spectacular scenery, they caught up to us, having covered about three miles in three hours. By this time my kids and I were beginning to become concerned, because we could see them most of the time they were behind us & they were taking A LOT of rest stops.
I asked them where they were going & they said “The Bridge of the Gods” in Oregon, which is about 130 miles of pretty much nothing but forest between us & there.
I asked them if they had enough water & they said they did, indicating their litre Nalgene bottles. The water issue kind of bugged me because I know that area can get really, really dry.
In the guise of polite conversation I inquired about their resupply plans & they said they didn’t have anything set up before Oregon. I supposed they could hitch into Trout Lake, but knew there are issues with that this year, but if things got dire, they could.
They seemed to have little or no knowledge of the area and only the vaguest of plans, probably had inadequate food
(complained of 40 pound packs, which, by the looks of it, were mostly gear), and one of the hikers appeared to be in poor health.
I wished them well, took a picture to send to their relatives if they don’t make it, offered them two cans of tuna, which they declined and cheerily waved them on as they plodded down the trail.
My kids ( 11 and 15) were very upset because they thought the guys were bear/buzzard bait & that I should have done more to “inform” them of the hazards/trials ahead.
I agreed with them, but also said that it was, in the words of one poster above, “their hike to hike” & that they were sure to have a memorable adventure, even if one or both of them croaked in the process.
They did look like they were enjoying themselves & I didn’t want to be like “Barry The Backwoods Bastard”, an infamous local “Backwoods Ranger” (USFS) who seems to be especially pissed when he comes across any other person walking through his woods & has chewed me out for wearing “tennis shoes” ( New Balance 810’s) & quizzed us for ten minutes once because he had found sunflower seeds spit on the trail & was trying to locate the culprit.
Anyway, thanks for the input.
I hope, if those dudes survive, that they don’t read this & think “Gee, what a jerk” because that wasn’t & isn’t my intent.
Many thanks
Daniel
Daniel Smith
system
#10
“I hope, if those dudes survive, that they don’t read this & think “Gee, what a jerk” because that wasn’t & isn’t my intent.”
I just posted a trip report last month on summitpost in which i mentioned a couple of climbers who climbed up into a really bad thunderstorm on a 13,800’ summit in the early evening, above a glacier with crevasses, and several miles from a camp. To me, they were morons, and we worried we’d be part of a rescue situation by morning, and so i said so in the report.
Sure enough, they saw the report online! Boy did i get a nasty reply back. Oh well… at least they survived.
markv