118
votes
How do I make people not be afraid of me and my dogs?
Couple suggestions for meeting people on the trail with dogs,
Keep the dogs leashed.
When passing people put the dogs on the opposite side of yourself so that you are between the dogs and the people.
...
- 69.4k
113
votes
Accepted
When hiking, why is the right of way given to people going up?
There are three good reasons for this:
The harder work an uphill hiker has to do
The smaller field of vision of an uphill hiker
They are in that "hiking rhythm" zone which shouldn't be interrupted (...
- 23.5k
95
votes
Accepted
Etiquette of playing musical instruments on popular hikes
I can only speak from experience, but I'll share what I have seen. The following paragraphs are ordered from least desirable to most.
In every case where people have been playing music on a speaker ...
- 1,456
87
votes
What exactly is so wrong with playing music on trails?
For the most part people head into the back country to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature; playing music detracts from that for many people. This is partly because music covers up other sounds, ...
- 11.3k
75
votes
Etiquette of playing musical instruments on popular hikes
I, and the people I hike with do not appreciate music on the trails. If you want music use headphones. We try to hike the least popular trails to avoid encountering blaring music. We are out in nature ...
- 972
69
votes
Is it poor etiquette to ask fellow backpackers where they have been/where they are going?
No. There's nothing wrong with asking other adventurers where they have adventured.
I've asked random people that question, other people have asked me, it never has put me or them on edge or ...
- 10.7k
55
votes
What exactly is so wrong with playing music on trails?
Is it acceptable
It depends. The response will vary from person to person. Some might agree, someone like me won't.
In general, this hatred you are referring to isn't only towards music, but towards ...
- 31.8k
44
votes
What exactly is so wrong with playing music on trails?
One of the first hits with your google search terms is explaining the issue very objectively, with no noticeable "vitriol" or "extreme hate": Here's why you should stop blasting ...
- 1,928
38
votes
Etiquette of playing musical instruments on popular hikes
Just don't play your music with the aid of any electronic speakers. People sing and talk and laugh as they hike and that's fine, its when they start blaring music on their waterproof bluetooth ...
- 69.4k
38
votes
Trumpeting while backpacking?
Depending on how much other stuff you will be carrying, a whole trumpet and case may be too heavy and/or bulky.
Just take your mouthpiece and blow through it when you feel like it, on an easy part of ...
- 1,190
35
votes
How do I make people not be afraid of me and my dogs?
As someone who is fine with dogs, I'm saddened that my son was nipped by a puppy when he was very young and is now very nervous when needing to walk past dogs, and there are lots of strays where I ...
- 475
34
votes
Is it poor etiquette to ask fellow backpackers where they have been/where they are going?
There is nothing wrong with asking people you meet on the trail where there are coming from or going to. This is very normal trail-encounter talk. I've asked people this many times and rarely gotten ...
- 21.5k
33
votes
When hiking, why is the right of way given to people going up?
For another possible explanation, I have always found it easier to see oncoming parties when you are going down. When hiking uphill, many people end up almost staring at their feet. In contrast, when ...
- 4,242
29
votes
Trumpeting while backpacking?
For one, thank you for asking and planning to be considerate. I wouldn’t wholly throw away the idea of practicing while on a backpacking trip, particularly if you’re a professional, but there are ...
- 2,599
26
votes
How do I make people not be afraid of me and my dogs?
Though you don't actually state it, I get the impression you normally let your dogs roam free on your hikes. If this is correct, then you are taking a very large risk with other people's health and ...
- 409
25
votes
How do I make people not be afraid of me and my dogs?
The most important thing is keeping all dogs on-leash in public areas. Technically, you can't make any person not feel afraid. But a leash will do a lot to reassure someone who is frightened or ...
- 367
24
votes
Is it poor etiquette to ask fellow backpackers where they have been/where they are going?
Context matters. There is nothing wrong with "where have you been" when you meet a fellow backpacker on a trail. But that is not the context of the linked question. Here, the other person is in a ...
24
votes
Trumpeting while backpacking?
From my perspective, it depends on where you are backbacking/camping. And it's not other humans I would be concerned about primarily.
If you are in a very remote setting where there are only very few ...
- 1,732
23
votes
Accepted
What exactly is so wrong with playing music on trails?
I think that the harsh reaction also expresses a measure of moral and cultural rejection. Being surrounded by electronics and consuming mass media is exactly what many hikers try to get away from.
The ...
22
votes
Etiquette of playing musical instruments on popular hikes
Being noisy in public is generally annoying for people around you, regardless of what kind of noise it is. (Exceptions apply, e.g. sporting events where being noisy is expected)
Playing an instrument ...
- 321
20
votes
When hiking, why is the right of way given to people going up?
It is much easier going down than going up, and it is easier for the people descending to stop than the ones going up.
The people going up will be working much harder, and be more irritated by having ...
- 69.4k
18
votes
What exactly is so wrong with playing music on trails?
People go hiking to experience quiet- the absence of sound. For you to fill that empty space with sound is in very poor taste. It it audio-littering that ruins the space for others. Put you headphones ...
- 281
17
votes
When hiking, why is the right of way given to people going up?
In addition to the fact that it is easier to go down than up, I think the biggest issue is safety. If you were to fall while going down, there is risk of injury to those below (coming up). It is ...
- 271
17
votes
Etiquette of playing musical instruments on popular hikes
Would you start playing the clarinet on a bus? It's also noisy, somehow. People also wouldn't expect complete silence. Would you be the one to guarantee there is no possibility of silence at all?
...
- 3,394
16
votes
Is it poor etiquette to ask fellow backpackers where they have been/where they are going?
I am the one who left the comment you quoted, so I'll provide some advice from that point of view.
If you open with "Where have you been?" or something similar, or ask it very early on, then cautious ...
- 3,574
15
votes
How do I make people not be afraid of me and my dogs?
Some more points in addition mainly to @CharlieBrumbaugh's answer:
Both in Central Europe (where I'm from) and traveling Canada I've only once in my life encountered a "visibly" and truly homeless ...
- 4,328
15
votes
What exactly is so wrong with playing music on trails?
You mention "areas where you might only encounter a few other people". Your music will certainly annoy all of them, plus the ones within earshot whom you do not encounter, and this might be ...
- 265
15
votes
What exactly is so wrong with playing music on trails?
I want to challenge a premise you made in your question.
only do it in a remote area with zero other humans
I want to say that unless you are in an open desert, there is no way you can possibly know ...
- 1,456
14
votes
When hiking, why is the right of way given to people going up?
I suspect it's just inherited from the "rules of the road" extant before most road traffic was motorised and before most roads were widened to 2 lanes.
On single-track roads e.g. in Scotland, it's ...
- 271
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible