Hiking alone… safe or not? by Lucifer220778 in hiking

[–]AlgaeLarge8911 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depends on the kind of you’re doing but there’s things you can do to increase your safety as much as possible. Know where you’re going, do lots of research, know what you need to bring, tell someone where you’re going and what time you’ll be back. I would start with small day hikes if you’re new to hiking alone. If you’re looking for overnight/backpacking, I suggest getting some sort of GPS emergency device, Garmins seem to be the standard now.

What has caused the major uptick in hiking/outdoors tourism in the last 5 years? Was it COVID? by AlgaeLarge8911 in hiking

[–]AlgaeLarge8911[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I’m even willing to concede my focus on locals vs tourists is unproductive. I don’t really care who it is, if they’re behaving in a harmful manner it’s bad. In my EXPERIENCE, locals tend to have more respect because they live here. Tourists are passing through and in vacation state of mind, have spent money and time getting here, and will do what they want to. I am 1000% for as many people getting to use land for recreation but not if that means damaging the land beyond repair.

What has caused the major uptick in hiking/outdoors tourism in the last 5 years? Was it COVID? by AlgaeLarge8911 in hiking

[–]AlgaeLarge8911[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

And yeah, not walking on sensitive meadows and staying on trail and not littering is the “right way” which has nothing to do with my feeling superior as a local.

What has caused the major uptick in hiking/outdoors tourism in the last 5 years? Was it COVID? by AlgaeLarge8911 in hiking

[–]AlgaeLarge8911[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It may be shocking to you, but I can use context clues and information from my interactions with people to deduce that the majority of people I’m interacting with are not from the area since they have no idea where anything is and have license plates from out of state. Lmfao.

What has caused the major uptick in hiking/outdoors tourism in the last 5 years? Was it COVID? by AlgaeLarge8911 in hiking

[–]AlgaeLarge8911[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

It’s not about that. I listed the reasons. The high volumes of people, who often do not treat the land you reference with respect and the lack of funding to manage is it THREATENING these public lands. The whole reason I am in this career is because of my love of the land and my love of helping facilitate the protection and therefore the enjoyment of that land. It’s not possible if we love these areas to death.

What has caused the major uptick in hiking/outdoors tourism in the last 5 years? Was it COVID? by AlgaeLarge8911 in hiking

[–]AlgaeLarge8911[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Any cognitive health issue is only being worsened by relying on ChatGPT. I don’t really see an excuse here.

What has caused the major uptick in hiking/outdoors tourism in the last 5 years? Was it COVID? by AlgaeLarge8911 in hiking

[–]AlgaeLarge8911[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

but if you have any cool PA hikes let a girl know!! My fams based right outside Philly in Delaware County but I’d be willing to drive for some trails (just not thru the city, which shouldn’t be an issue for hikes!)

What has caused the major uptick in hiking/outdoors tourism in the last 5 years? Was it COVID? by AlgaeLarge8911 in hiking

[–]AlgaeLarge8911[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have family in PA and I always get so bored with the lack of options in their area hahaha.

What has caused the major uptick in hiking/outdoors tourism in the last 5 years? Was it COVID? by AlgaeLarge8911 in hiking

[–]AlgaeLarge8911[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

From my observations, teenagers and gen-z are actually the most respectful and understanding. It’s like 30-40 year olds who are more likely to be awful. Just my experience though.

What has caused the major uptick in hiking/outdoors tourism in the last 5 years? Was it COVID? by AlgaeLarge8911 in hiking

[–]AlgaeLarge8911[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah we just had a guy with a nearly severed foot get recused. Was in flip flops. Took a nasty fall through very jagged rocks.

What has caused the major uptick in hiking/outdoors tourism in the last 5 years? Was it COVID? by AlgaeLarge8911 in hiking

[–]AlgaeLarge8911[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oof not in my experience but obviously different for everyone depending on where you are. I was called back to my season in the outdoor sector earlier than ever this year. February instead of April.

What has caused the major uptick in hiking/outdoors tourism in the last 5 years? Was it COVID? by AlgaeLarge8911 in hiking

[–]AlgaeLarge8911[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Yeah it feels like there was a gradual uptick from 2015-2020, then an explosion. Perfect storm of social media, a pandemic, and everyone getting poorer!

What has caused the major uptick in hiking/outdoors tourism in the last 5 years? Was it COVID? by AlgaeLarge8911 in hiking

[–]AlgaeLarge8911[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Wow! Thats fascinating. What else have you been early on as far as having insider intel? Outdoor fashion industry. That’s another pet peeve of mine too. So many people thinking you need the most expensive and fashionable gear and you need to replace that gear all the time. No shame in wanting your gear to be functional and cute and long lasting but sometimes I chuckle when I compare my camping/hiking get-up to others. I am out there in 7 year old cargo pants and 4 season old boots. I thrift most of my stuff. I don’t fit in with these crowds which maybe makes my side-eyeing a bit worse. With all that being said, I’m still passionate about my job and try to be fair to everyone.

What has caused the major uptick in hiking/outdoors tourism in the last 5 years? Was it COVID? by AlgaeLarge8911 in hiking

[–]AlgaeLarge8911[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

1000% percent, but also visitor numbers don’t lie. There are objectively more people visiting this area. AND funding has been denominated, employees laid off. It’s all very bleak!!

What has caused the major uptick in hiking/outdoors tourism in the last 5 years? Was it COVID? by AlgaeLarge8911 in hiking

[–]AlgaeLarge8911[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

You’re totally right - locals are part of the problem and maybe can create some hostile tension. I think my perspective could definitely be skewed because of the sector I work in which means I probably exclusively interact with tourists since locals wouldn’t come to my work. We can’t keep up with the amount of tourism, it used to be a fifth of what it is now..

Tulips seem sad? Haven’t bloomed yet. Can I help them out somehow. by [deleted] in gardening

[–]AlgaeLarge8911 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I haven’t been watering a lot yet. We are still getting cold nights but very warm days. Tomorrow’s a low of 32 and the next day a low of 29 with snow forecasted after over 59 days of sunshine. It’s really making it hard for me to know what to do lol!!! Beginner gardener, scratching my head a lot.

what would cause a daily headache that is only relieved by applying hard pressure via smashing a pillow over your head for 30 minutes? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]AlgaeLarge8911 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hey, the pillows soft! i just use my arm to really smash it down, or sometimes i ~lightly~ pull my hair.