Good article on the Instagrammification of natural areas

[JazzCover]

I agree that it is good for more folks to be out enjoying the outdoors

it's good for fewer people, but a higher percentage

[markesc]

Back when I was actively mountaineering, it used to be all about the summit – get there alive, take in the view, snap a photo (if the shutter wasn’t frozen), and make it back alive. The goal, not the process, was the order of the day. We used to have convoluted discussions (usually fueled either by beer down low or by oxygen deprivation at altitude) about goal versus process, but kept after those summits nonetheless. While not forgetting that mountaineering invariably involves skill, risk, and a lot of struggle, tagging a summit doesn’t seem too different than the Instagram culture of “go to Social Media Enhanced Point X”, snap a photo of it and a selfie (or just a selfie with X in the background), and post it (preferably right then because there’s probably cell service at Point X).

It wasn’t until after I retired from mountaineering that process started to make sense. Sure, our hikes still have “goals” (a specific trail, a view, some ridgeline, a non-technical summit, etc.) but are now about enjoying the whole experience, not just some specific spot (like a summit or a waterfall or a pool or whatever) during it. This approach sure frees you from the tyranny of “we have to fight our away through the overflowing parking lot & the permit restricted trailhead & the crowded trail to see the one Social Media Enhanced Point that matters or else the hike’s a failure.” So, how about blowing off social media, putting in a little effort of your own, and enjoying the process of hiking your own hike to a destination of your own choosing? Doing so can be so liberating…

Could not have better said it myself!

There's an Art to enjoyment. I've found sharing online to be rather fleeting in a sense, so less TR's, more taking it in...

[mattisnotfrench]

Interesting article.

Some Instagram outdoor enthusiasts have taken to using hashtags like #nogeotags and #secretplaces, urging followers in their captions to keep some places sacred and secret.

In my opinion, if you want a place to stay secret, don't post a photo of it AT ALL. I think it's just antagonizing people when someone posts a photo and then says "I'm not telling you where this is."

I agonized over this writing my two books. I know that in some ways I'm helping expose some places that maybe shouldn't be exposed, but I also felt a duty to write about them rather than just pretend they don't exist. It's hard though, and I sometimes feel guilty. But the public lands belong to us all, and if there's a trail there, somebody has been there before you. And somebody will go again in the future.

But I agree with you completely, and I refuse to write about any place that is off-trail. I often won't even post photos of places off-trail in a public forum. It seems though like the internet's got a long reach, so maybe I need more vigilance.

[CampinCarl]

I agonized over this writing my two books. I know that in some ways I'm helping expose some places that maybe shouldn't be exposed, but I also felt a duty to write about them rather than just pretend they don't exist.

Matt, I have both your books, and I think you did an excellent job with highlighting areas that are less known that need more attention paid to them while at the same time encouraging stewardship of these areas. I think your guidebooks are also valuable in that they have lots of options and aren't highlighting one thing in particular. Instagram is often so focused on one "trending" place or object and that can bring on the bucket list mindset.