119
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.
...
- 69.1k
115
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 (...
- 23.4k
96
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 ...
- 1,466
85
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, ...
- 9,050
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 ...
- 31.7k
45
votes
Accepted
Is it offensive to "just hike" on a pilgrim's path?
No, it would not be offensive.
A survey of 200 pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago found that motivations were as follows, in order of importance:
Exercise
Adventure
Peace, solitude, relaxation
...
- 11.7k
43
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 ...
- 1,898
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 ...
- 69.1k
37
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 ...
- 1,070
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
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 ...
- 4,107
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 ...
- 21.3k
31
votes
Is the fishermen's greeting "Petri Heil" accepted all around the world?
This answer is based on the meaning of "Petri Heil", I have hardly any first hand knowledge of the use of this phrase.
For starters it is certainly restricted to countries where the majority religion ...
- 21.7k
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 ...
- 2,430
27
votes
Accepted
Is it polite to ask other climbers to belay for you?
My answer is "don't ask". It's not so much that it's "impolite", but it's an imposition to them and potentially dangerous for you:
Belaying can take quite some time, so you're asking the person to ...
- 440
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 ...
- 841
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 ...
- 1,552
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
21
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 ...
- 69.1k
20
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 ...
18
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 ...
- 281
18
votes
Accepted
Is the fishermen's greeting "Petri Heil" accepted all around the world?
I grew up in Italy, in a fishermen's village on the Adriatic Sea. I never heard this expression, and I am pretty sure I've never heard it anywhere in the Mediterranean. Furthermore, I think that a "...
- 304
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
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?
...
- 3,369
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 ...
- 3,496
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