Leave No Virtual Trace (Blog)

General discussions on hiking in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest
chrisca
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Leave No Virtual Trace (Blog)

Post by chrisca » April 18th, 2018, 8:54 pm

After a bit of a hiatus, I've written a more extensive treatment of "Leave No Virtual Trace." It's on my blog at http://lensjoy.com/Blog/SocialMediaSharing.htm. Too long to reproduce here easily. I welcome your comments and suggestions (posted here, my website has no comment feature.) I hope it will spark some discussion about what can be done to address the issue of Internet social-media sharing and its effect on the natural environment and the trails we love, but in some cases are being driven away from.

I did send the manuscript into several outdoor magazines. None chose to run it. But some did write articles on the same topic. It says we're on to something, but most magazines are likely wary of any concept that would reduce the online traffic and clicks they try so hard to get. Reducing online sharing is anathema to any monetized website.

I expect to revise the article over time as the discussion continues. Excellent comments, keep them coming. I plan to revise "Hike device-free and enjoy the moment" to "Turn off your device and enjoy the moment" as it's a good reason to have devices for summoning emergency help. I don't want to suggest they be left at home.

Here are a couple of links worth checking out:
https://8thlnt.wordpress.com/
https://gearjunkie.com/social-media-sha ... -principle

Thanks.
Last edited by chrisca on April 21st, 2018, 1:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

pcg
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Re: Leave No Virtual Trace (Blog)

Post by pcg » April 18th, 2018, 9:34 pm

Good job Chris. I've been a proponent of all the points except #6. Being someone who avoids conflict and doesn't enjoy arguing, I'm reluctant to tell others what to do, unless the situation demands it. Thanks for thinking this through and promoting the concept.

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Bosterson
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Re: Leave No Virtual Trace (Blog)

Post by Bosterson » April 18th, 2018, 11:13 pm

I agree with Paul - I'm on board with the exception of #6. (Not sharing a secret area on FB is different from not being allowed to bring a smartphone, which - also - is a phone, and presumably everyone should carry it in case they need to call 911, vs trying to use smoke signals or something.) I used to post off-trail stuff here and stopped a few years ago when I saw a Meetup group that shall not be named trying to replicate my trips. That was the catalyst for me that maybe some information should stay offline.

That said, per your blog, I don't think this is about "secrets," per se. (Now go see every other discussion of this topic on here. Give this thread a day or two and eventually someone is going to cry "elitist" and tell you sharing is caring and information wants to be free.) The issue is that the number of people one can reach instantaneously has outstripped - by orders of magnitude - what untrammeled natural areas can absorb without impact. Word of mouth was a much slower process, and didn't include GPS tracks. So tell your friends, tell your family - just don't tell Facebook.

My worry about the impact of boot paths on "nature" has changed a bit after the Gorge fire, and I'm less worried about that for its own sake (we should be much, much more worried about uranium mines, industrial water contamination, and mountaintop removal). At this point if anything animates my belief in VLNT as a means of reducing "impact," it's that a core feature of "wilderness" - a concept enshrined in the last hundred years - is that you don't see other people (or evidence of other people). While this isn't 100% realizable in 2018 (there are a lot of people going outdoors these days, regardless), it should - ideally - be the goal. Let's preserve the magic of exploration and discovery for those willing to earn it.
Because the current incarnation of the 7 Leave No Trace Principles have been in place for nearly 20 years, we don’t take discussions of significant changes lightly. Such discussions are imperative at times but also need to be strategic, thoughtful, and measured. In the case of addressing appropriate use of social media, we feel that it is possible and necessary to tailor existing Leave No Trace information for this purpose rather than creating a new Principle out of whole cloth.
So per the appendix on your blog, the official Leave No Trace Institute position is that their "7 principles" have been around long enough (a whopping 20 years? is that a lot now?) that they are now... dogma? And cannot be changed? Meaning virtual LNT can't be principle #8, but somehow needs to be retconned into the previous 7 principles somehow? That's silly. It's not like 20 years ago they said, "Well, gee, we have ideas for 7 LNT principles, but the current number of LNT principles is zero, and you can't make new ones..." :geek:
chrisca wrote:
April 18th, 2018, 8:54 pm
I did send the manuscript into several outdoor magazines. None chose to run it. But some did write articles on the same topic. It says we're on to something, but most magazines are likely wary of any concept that would reduce the online traffic and clicks they try so hard to get. Reducing online sharing is anathema to any monetized website.
This is definitely true - for a good example, see Franklin Foer's recent book World Without Mind, when he talks about how a tech bro took over the New Republic and instituted real-time click analysis as a basis for editorial decisions.
#pnw #bestlife #bitingflies #favoriteyellowcap #neverdispleased

justpeachy
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Re: Leave No Virtual Trace (Blog)

Post by justpeachy » April 19th, 2018, 6:31 am

You touch on this in point #2, but it is an option that not many people seem to consider: when it comes to secret places, simply don't post photos of it. If I believe an off-the-beaten path location should stay that way, then I don't share photos of it on social media.

I can't find it now, but I once read somewhere that some photographers share photos of places and deliberately don't specify the location in order to boost comments/engagement because everyone replies "Where was this taken?"

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jessbee
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Re: Leave No Virtual Trace (Blog)

Post by jessbee » April 19th, 2018, 7:25 am

This is an issue I've been rolling around in my head for a while, but especially in the past 2 weeks while I was out on an extensive hiking/camping trip.

My first observation is that people can't even follow the LNT principles as they are now: litter along the trail, illegal fire pits, poop right next to the trail, Bluetooth speakers, drones, etc. So laying down another rule on people who can't be bothered to do the ones that to me seen so obviously important and easy to do may not be received well.

On the other hand I've thought a lot about what I chose to post on social media and to the Internet in general. I love writing and sharing photos, and while I have a pretty thing audience I do wonder what impact this work has. I have been trying to caption my posts work messages of stewardship, I've stopped geotagging, and there are places I will not write about specifically.

Lastly, why don't we stop "liking" the same old pictures of Antelope Canyon and other places so over run by people it's a miracle anyone can take a photo with no one in them. Without the social reinforcement, people will eventually lose the motivation to post these things.
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jessbee
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Re: Leave No Virtual Trace (Blog)

Post by jessbee » April 20th, 2018, 6:20 am

I'll just add this: in reading the Central Cascades Wilderness Strategies Update (I'm on page 65!), there have been multiple references to SOCIAL MEDIA as being the impetus behind the increased use and popularity of certain sites.

I'm not saying whether or not this is accurate, but this excuse is being used in order to justify MASSIVE use limitations in our precious favorite areas. So this is kind of a big deal, and something we should all be having a conversation about. Thanks Chris for continuing to bring the social sharing issue to the forefront.
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Born2BBrad
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Re: Leave No Virtual Trace (Blog)

Post by Born2BBrad » April 20th, 2018, 9:58 am

The increase in the crowds to pristine areas, or anywhere in nature, has made me reluctant to write more trip reports. This thread is prompting me to delete some GPS tracks from GPS Fly.

It's sad because I used to love sharing my adventures with others on this website. :(
Make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again.
- Jean Luc Picard

Link to GPX tracks
Link to Trip Reports

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Chip Down
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Re: Leave No Virtual Trace (Blog)

Post by Chip Down » April 21st, 2018, 11:54 am

I'm possibly one of the worst offenders here, so maybe my thoughts are of some interest. It's a broad topic, so I choose to focus on the 8 guidelines.

1. Don’t geotag photos you share.
What, you mean embed location in the pic? I think I turned that off, but not entirely positive. I don't even know if metadata appears in the pics posted here. I suppose I should verify. I don't really want people to be able to GPS their way to the spot I worked so hard for. I also don't post GPS tracks (okay, I admit it, I wouldn't even know how).

2. Don’t post photos on social media of any place that would be harmed by increased visitation.
Yeah, well, that would be anyplace, right? Anyway, I don't do SM, unless this site counts. For the most part, my posts aren't going to increase traffic, because I tend to go to places most people wouldn't be inclined to visit. There are exceptions though. One of my favorite viewpoints in the gorge is Mt Redacted, and I've never posted a TR because I want to keep it semi-secret, and there is a rough trail going there. I can absolutely see it becoming overrun if word got out.

3. Only post routes or tracks following maintained trails.
Booo! I choose not to do so, but I appreciate it when people do. (Funny, I just realized that's the same approach I take to posting nudes. Thanks for that, but I shall not reciprocate. :lol: )

4. Preserve solitude by keeping it to yourself so it will be there in the future.
Strikes me as slightly selfish. But then again, see #2. Hmm.

5. Politely let others on social media know when their actions contribute to overuse of recreation sites.
Somebody did that to me. I respect him greatly, and he was nice about it...but in general I'd be pretty annoyed if somebody told me to shut my yap. Of course, you did say "politely", but some people's "polite" can be really condescending.

6. Hike device-free and enjoy the moment.
Sometimes when I leave a great spot, I pause for a moment to take it all in without my phone in hand. I have to remind myself "I'm here to drink beer, not to take pics of beer". (If you ever look at my TR's, you'll know what I mean :lol: ). But I can't imagine leaving it behind altogether (the camera, not the beer). Funny though, many years ago, before the smartphone era, I did decide to stop carrying a camera, because I felt like seeking pics became too much of the motivation for a particular route. Incidentally, #6 doesn't quite fit in here. It's related, but it doesn't specifically pertain to sharing on SM. Maybe there's a better way to slip this thought in, rather than making it a bullet point.

7. Think about the consequences of posting photos; the damage they do could be far more than anticipated.
Seems like #7 is redundant. If you removed this point, would your overall message suffer?

8. Remember that when photos or videos are shared they can multiply views and visitors uncontrollably. Fame is not worth the damage that could result to a fragile area.
Could #8 be split into two? The snowball effect is worth noting, as is the quest for fame. Although, on further reflection, I guess I see your point. It's the number of views that creates fame, and it's also the number of views that creates crowds.
Interesting that you explicitly mention ego as a motivator for posting. Too many people pretend "I'm just posting this to share the beauty." I'm not suggesting it's all ego-driven, but let's not deny it enters in. Okay, I'll go first: I humbly admit that I derive some pride from sharing where I've been. I don't think that makes me a bad person, but we all need to be honest with ourselves about whether we're really posting to make the world a better place (helping other hikers, sharing the beauty), or if we're saying "hey, look what I did". I've seen some posts here that annoy me: no new information offered, no stories shared, just "here's my selfie at the top of Mt Such-and-Such". I don't make impolite comments about those, I just click back and move on.

A corollary to #1 & #2: consider posting pics unidentified (as somebody mentioned above), or perhaps alter names enough that those in the know will understand, while neophytes won't get it (and will scour the www looking for this Jolly Rancher trail that somebody mentioned). For example, I had some fun posting about my explorations on Mount Nurma :lol:
I make those decisions mostly based on accessibility. If a secret spot is very close to a big tourist attraction, and it's pretty easy to get to, then I'm more thoughtful about whether I should discuss it here. Also, to a lesser extent, I consider how fragile the area is, and how many people it can comfortably accommodate (for example, I'm less inclined to promote a tight summit area...reminds me of having to wait my turn to get to the summit of Shasta, and not even at peak climbing season).

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retired jerry
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Re: Leave No Virtual Trace (Blog)

Post by retired jerry » April 21st, 2018, 12:51 pm

It would be funny to, on a website to post trip reports, beat up on someone for posting trip reports

It seems like some place like Oneonta gorge would more likely to be over crowded due to posting on websites. To me, that location is going to be over crowded regardless. Better to post about it so the hoards go there and leave other places less busy.

I figure it's good to tell people about places and if they actually go there it's a good thing. I've enjoyed it so it's good if they get enjoyment also. If people experience the wilderness maybe there's more chance we can preserve it.

If one location becomes crowded, there are other locations.

If you get a few miles away from the car, the crowds really thin out.

If there are more people then it's that type of experience, if I'm the only one it's a different type of experience, it's all good.

That's just my opinion.

chrisca
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Re: Leave No Virtual Trace (Blog)

Post by chrisca » April 21st, 2018, 1:54 pm

retired jerry wrote:
April 21st, 2018, 12:51 pm
It seems like some place like Oneonta gorge would more likely to be over crowded due to posting on websites. To me, that location is going to be over crowded regardless. Better to post about it so the hoards go there and leave other places less busy.
There are two separate issues here though. With Oneonta Gorge, it's true that we can choose to go other places and as savvy hikers we know how to find other locations. But Oneonta has some rare plant species there that grow in few other places. Those plants can't move. It's important to remember that finding our own solitude may be under our control more or less, but protecting sensitive habitat can only be done by restricting access to the site and not promoting it as a destination.

There are places where crowds are OK, especially if agencies harden the site (think Multnomah Falls). When sensitive species are present, that's not likely to be a good idea. We have to remember that distinction.

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