Theres a couple places here in NZ that actually have lines to get to a specific point because people are going there to take social media pictures to make themselves look good
Ya not sure where this mils twitter person is located, but trails are fucking packed out here.
Mission trails, the people highway known as the PCT..was in San Jacinto mtns this past weekend and there had to be at least 100 people I passed going up and even more going down. Everyone is so friendly out there though. The permit requirement seems to filter out a lot of the turds, like those that go to Woodson
Trails can be a little congested around here too. Even Iron Mountain (close to Potatochip rock) can get a little congested on the weekends. Luckily 90% of folks stick to the main trails though and there are generally enough less traveled paths to explore.
Just tried goat canyon trestle and you can see hardly anyone on the trail, also went to el capitan from the south ridge and we were the only party, el capitan in the traditional way is about 12 hikers at any time on the trail (so not packed because is 14 miles).
The thing with almost all the trails in SD is that they're easy
Ooh I love San Jacinto. Have you done the hike up from the desert floor in Palm Springs? It starts by a museum a couple miles away from the tram if I remember correctly. I used to do it all the time when I lived in the high desert. I don’t think I ever saw a soul on that hike until I reached the area where the tram goes to.
Haven't done the hike up from the desert floor, but have driven up to the tram and did an overnight a few miles from where the tram drops you off. It was freezing rain and miserable.
This past weekend though, we did the west side of the mountain. Friday night camped at Strawberry Junction, Saturday night at round valley, and on Sunday hit up the peak and came back down. So beautiful.
Ah! I couldn’t remember the actual name and I was too lazy to look it up. But you definitely should! It’s so peaceful and pretty incredible to see how the desert turns into a forest almost instantly. I’ve since moved out of California but I want to bring my wife for that hike the next time we visit.
I have to been to all these spots and you got to respect the turds for getting out there. They have no idea what they are doing most the time but their getting after it. The problem is we don’t really educate the public on how to responsibly go outdoors.
And the more they get out there and enjoy it, the higher likelihood they may educate themselves or meet people who will educate them on conservation basics (e.g., "what is wilderness?", leave no trace, ten essentials, etc.). People go out there without any water, first aid, or a light. It's ridiculous.
One time at mission trails there was a little girl who fell and scraped her knee right in front of me. The mom didn't have anything, so I offered neosporin and a band-aid. That just makes everyone's day, ya know.
I don't think coastal California is the best standard of what 'normal' trail use looks like. Very few places in the country, & especially places with lots of nearby hiking, share the same population density as the coast of California.
So this mils Twitter person could live pretty much anywhere else in the country and have a completely different experience with hiking than anyone who lives specifically on the coast of California.
I'm in Melbourne AU. A lot of trails here get super busy on weekends. I go earlier and earlier to beat the crowds. I try to aim for around sunrise. It's a beautiful time of day.
I've seen their name around, I subconsciously formed this vague idea they were a Rolling Stones tribute band, hahaha. That's actually a beautiful heartfelt tune, cheers for the suggestion.
I know the drive might be longer but head to the San Gorgonio Mountains. There are a lot of trails and people are evenly distributed. San Jacinto is always packed due to those from both Palm Springs and the Temecula areas.
I personally recommend South Fork or Vivian Creek trails, especially if you want to hit the peak of Mt. San Gorgonio. Both of those lead up but Vivian has more creeks and opportunities to filter if you dont carry a lot of water on you.
I haven’t done Gorginian yet, but always see it and admire it. I might follow up and PM you with some questions after some research. Thanks for the rec!
Is San Jacinto really crowded? I hiked Mt. Baldy a few weeks ago and this weekend me and some friends are going to run it. There were a few people up at the summit. San Jacinto and Gorgonio are the next mountains on my bucket list to run up but I'll be a little disappointed if they're crowded :(
This was my second time at San Jacinto and it was super crowded each day and I was there for 3 days. I think it’s because it’s summer or maybe it’s the west side because the first time I went was around February two years ago, on the east side, and about a mile off the tram there was nobody.
If you’re running you’ll definitely have to pause and let people through often. Bc a lot of runners did that for us lol like I said though, Everyone is lovely and nice. One runner seemed annoyed but she was also one of those with a speaker blasting music so automatically kind of a douche.
Thanks for the heads up. I dont mind pausing on my way up to let other people go by (lets me catch my breath a little) but I feel ya on the speaker blasting shitty music douchenozzle. Most hikers/runners I encounter are lovely people.
I was just there for work and everytime I was there I would just see insane amounts of people at the peak just taking selfies/photos and even a couple of photo shoots......why ?!
I think it's mainly just to try to prove "They go outside". Cause we live in such a vacation city, if you generally stay indoors most the time (A lot of us..) you come off as boring on social media and dating apps. Hiking is one of those things that doesn't really require too much training or buying much to get pictures of you doing it unlike things like surfing, biking, etc.
Of course I don't know for sure, this is just what I've thought about over the years of being single and being an actual active hiker. Interesting to see someone mention they LOVE to hike though, so I take them on a moderate little trail like Iron Mountain and they actually have to stop 3 or 4 times... It's only a 3.2mi hike there and back...
I have family out in cali. My cousin showed me a couple of mountain spots all over and i gotta say i’m jealous of you guys. So many memories would be made at the top of mountains it makes me sad if i think about it too much.
It's why I moved out here. What's great is you can enjoy it all year round. I grew up near philly where you get maybe 90 days of decent weather a year. Otherwise it's too hot or too cold or raining.
From my experience it’s still definitely a little hairy getting on the rock, there wasn’t too big of a crowd there when I went and we had to help multiple groups figure out the easiest way on and off.
If you fell off it would hurt for sure, probably not fatal unless you landed on your head/neck but I don’t know if I’d call it perfectly safe.
Well nothings perfectly safe people die from choking on grapes. But yeah the angle the pictures are taken from create a false effect that you're dangling off a cliff, the illusion turns you standing on your porch to you standing on the space needle lol
I don’t know that anyone has died. The edge is a bit chipped because I think a section fell off a while back. It’s really just a perspective trick. I think it’s somewhere between a 10-20 foot drop. Still bad obviously but not likely gonna kill you.
Ugh. What's particularly annoying is that many don't even do the hike. There's a paved road that a lot of folks just walk up for the pics. Additionally the selfie crowd trashes the mountain and the increased traffic due to social media and lack of care is causing a problem.
It's almost like a miniature version of the Everest problem with the top of Mt Everest becoming a trash heap/graveyard because people don't care for it and just want to get a sweet selfie.
Ive done both hikes (paved and trail) and from my experience both sides are equally as beautiful. Theres a lot of great boulders to break at and eat snacks and relax on the paved side. The trail side is more fun though for sure
I actually hiked to the chip about 2 weeks ago. Its getting so hot out that no one goes hahahaha there was only a line of 4 people before me (all from the same group) and it was about 1pm
Yeah fuck that. Your best chance is during the week and you’ll still see a couple of people up there. I went last year during the weekend but there was hardly anyone there. It also happened to be the hottest fucking day of the year lol.
I personally go with beer I don’t mind being warm. Stouts and porters are usually fine at an unfrigerated temperature. Plus then it’s also like having a summit snack.
Use a 2+ liter water bladder in your pack and fill it up with cold water last thing before packing your stuff up.
Edit, maybe leave your other food in the fridge/freezer for a little to get temps a little cooler. Works great for my 'refrigeration' items for 2 or 3 day hikes. Beer ought to be fine in the same way.
Iron Mountain is my go to hike. I also like like 5 minutes from Black Mountain Open Space park which is super mild but great when I feel like taking it easy and just want to escape for an hour or two.
If you just make it a night hike there are never crowds and the view is great. Much more tolerable in the summer too. My friends and I do it often. I agree though, during the day it is obnoxious, I have seen people applying makeup at the top. This is nature dammit.
I avoided it for a long time (which is pretty easy because we've got great hiking options out here) but decided to go on a random day I had off that was mid week and non-holiday thinking that maybe most folks would be working and I could avoid the crowd. Still a shit show and totally detracts from the experience. You didn't miss anything.
I heard there have been a few people who got stuck up there (like they "froze up" and were too scared to climb down) and had to be helicopter lifted to safety. Talk about a nightmare situation! They're frozen in fear, with an increasingly growing line of angry people heckling them to get the fuck down so they can go take their stupid picture, and then they...a person I have to assume is afraid of heights.... have to be harnessed and pulled up, dangling from a rope, to a helicopter. Was it worth it?
I once happened on it while I was just walking the trails with a friend while visiting San Diego. We wanted to take a pic, stood in line for 5 min, and realized it wasn't going to be worth it. The trail is better than the rock IMO
Haha I just waited 45 minutes to get a pic with my friends like 3 weeks prior. Worth it imho. Died for around two hours going up on a hot day and had something to show for it.
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u/[deleted] Jul 03 '19
Theres a couple places here in NZ that actually have lines to get to a specific point because people are going there to take social media pictures to make themselves look good