TIL a ranger in Yosemite told me my 18-mile day plan was 'route vandalism' and it changed how I plan trips.

He said my aggressive itinerary on the Cathedral Lakes loop would cause more trail erosion and social trail creation, so now I cap my daily mileage at 12 and build in a zero day, but some of my crew thinks that's overly cautious-what's your take on balancing ambitious routes with trail impact?

2 comments

2 Comments

verab2818d ago

Honestly, your crew is wrong and that ranger is spot on. Pushing big miles means you're moving fast, not looking where you step, and more likely to cut switchbacks when you're tired. That directly causes the erosion and social trails they talked about. Capping your distance is the responsible move, not being cautious. If your friends want to race through, they're part of the problem.

the_kelly18d ago

Man, this hits hard. I used to totally side with your crew, thinking rangers were just being uptight. But reading what @verab28 said about cutting switchbacks when you're wiped really made it click for me. I've definitely done that on a long day, just taking the straight line down a hill because my feet hurt. You don't even see the scar you're making in the ground. Capping miles forces you to slow down and actually hike the trail that's built, not the one that's easiest in the moment. It's a good rule.