Hiking movies: good or bad for trails?

[gregpphoto]

Wild is being turned into a film, and so is A Walk In the Woods, I read. So I ask you, how many tons of garbage will be strewn by the thousands who see these movies and decide to hike a long trail (or any trail for that matter)? How much more impacted will campsites be? Permits harder to get? Really, Im concerned most with my first point. As an LNT trainer, I know how difficult it is to get people to abide (other than the dude).

[Lone Wolf]

there's already garbage strewn up and down the AT. a movie won't make it much worse

[gregpphoto]

there's already garbage strewn up and down the AT. a movie won't make it much worse

...

Im thinking outside the AT as well. Local trails that might not get a ton of use, all of a sudden will have lots more people on them (albeit for a short period of time).

[Starchild]

It depends on how it is portrayed.

As also a LNT trainer the 7 principles don't work. They, like the 10 commandants only bring condemnation and a false sense of piety to people who follow them. If God can not get us to follow 'thou shalt nots' we don't have a chance at it ever working.

But the principles were derived from the plus 3. Respect for each other respect for wildlife and respect for our common home with them, the earth.

If the movies show that level of respect perhaps learned over the journey. The reason behind the principles being applies and not just some rules followed mindlessly and heartlessly I believe it could do a lot to bring LNT into not just the back country but the front country maybe even the corporate environment and more into the daily lives and heart of people.

These movies I don't see as a loss for LNT but a opportunity for it reaching a vast new audience to bring not the 7 principles but the reason for them to other aspects of daily life.

[gsingjane]

I don't know about NJ, but here in CT we have hundreds of miles of blue-blazed trails, not to mention "town" and "state" trails, and it's a rare day that you see a single soul out hiking on any of them. No matter the weather, no matter the day of the week, no matter what, folks are in their cars and they're staying put.

People support what they use, or what they could at least visualize themselves someday using. That's one simple reason why it's incredibly important to "grow" the constituency for land acquisition, preservation, and trail and corridor protection. That's also why (after many years of not being super-enthusiastic about "sharing" the trails, I have now made my peace with not only mountain bikers but hunters). The more folks we can get who love and want to protect the wild places, by far the better.

To complain that a hiking movie or book would bring people out to the trails, and presumably to care about them more than they did before, is short-sighted. Sure, there might be some localized or shorter-term problems associated with increased numbers, but it would be well, well worth it.

Jane

[sympathetic joy]

I tend to think the more people outside the better. Not just for their own health but for the sake of funding. The more voters who utilize a resource the more likely they support funding to enhance that resource. (Agreed that there are lot of points that can be argued there.)

That said, pop culture ebbs and flows. Breaking Away brought about a surge in cycling. Did it ruin cycling? I don't think so. More cyclists I think enhanced the sport. A River Runs Through It brought about more people to the sport of fly fishing. I think the sport is still healthy today.

If more hikers results in more funding then maybe we can see more LNT education.

[ki0eh]

Our enemy is the couch. More people getting off it is better for us. If the A.T. is too crowded for you, hike somewhere else.

[slbirdnerd]

More good than bad. There may be an increase in trail traffic initially--I keep saying for the first 30 miles or so . But in general it will raise awareness and generate interest in outdoor activity.

I think "A Walk in the Woods" may generate more interest than "Wild," though, at least among the older ranks considering how they cast the two main characters (poor choices imho). "Wild" was about so much more than hiking and I believe the outdoor enthusiasts will be a smaller subset of people who see that film.

[garlic08]

I agree it's better if more people get out. Hopefully a percentage of those new hikers will sign up to maintain trails.

Back in the 80s when mountain biking started becoming popular, and started chewing up and changing some of my favorite trails, I had some concerns. But I found plenty of other places to hike where bikes have not affected the trails. I'm also an avid road cyclist, and I think any increase in the number of bicycles in the world is a good thing. And now I see mountain bikers out in force building and maintaining trails.

[Traveler]

Wild is being turned into a film, and so is A Walk In the Woods, I read. So I ask you, how many tons of garbage will be strewn by the thousands who see these movies and decide to hike a long trail (or any trail for that matter)? How much more impacted will campsites be? Permits harder to get? Really, Im concerned most with my first point. As an LNT trainer, I know how difficult it is to get people to abide (other than the dude).

I doubt these films will have much of an impact on the AT (or other trail systems). These are more introspective personal growth tales using trails as a backdrop. Typically interest in hiking trails dwindles with a great majority of folks when they experience the realities of the activity; you have to be in decent condition, don't mind bugs, being wet, or the other common conditions that make home entertainment centers successful.

I tend to agree the more people actively using hiking trails is better than only a handful. We end up with a stronger community of responsible users overall. It's pretty rare that I see many people on sections of the AT or other hiking trails in western CT/MA outside of nice weather weekends, so we don't see a huge influx of people even with the proliferation of outdoor gear retailers in the region and magazines that publish trail information. What I see more of are trail advocates who tend to educate others in trail craft and etiquette as situations allow.

Those who learn tend to stay and be responsible users of trails, the others don't do either.

[gregpphoto]

It depends on how it is portrayed.

As also a LNT trainer the 7 principles don't work. They, like the 10 commandants only bring condemnation and a false sense of piety to people who follow them. If God can not get us to follow 'thou shalt nots' we don't have a chance at it ever working.

I disagree. I'm volunteering this summer at a summit steward in the ADK. When most people walk on alpine veggies and not the durable surface (principle #2) its not because they thought LNT was too high fallutin. Its because they just dont know that walking on veggies and not rock is a bad thing. And Im willing to bet thats true of most principles for most people. I think youre just a pessimist!

[gregpphoto]

Perhaps I should clarify my position. Im all for anyone and everyone getting out on the trail, for all the aforementioned reasons (people only protect what they care about, its good for their body and mind, etc). However, I know our species, and when these short lived spikes occur, people dont care about doing it right. They just wanna do it. And while some gear brands are nice enough to print the LNT code on their products, most people just straight dont care enough to learn the proper techniques. So I fear the spikes, even though over the long run, they might do some good.

[Coffee]

I've been concerned about the impact of Wild on the PCT next year, perhaps selfishly since I plan to thru hike next year and I don't want to see the trail itself, camping areas, and the trail angels totally overwhelmed with unprepared hikers attracted by a movie. If there are many unprepared impulsive hikers, they may drop out before long but maybe not before overwhelming resources and capacity in the first few hundred miles north of the border.

I guess much depends on how the trail is portrayed in the movie and how well it resonates with the target audience. I couldn't get past the first few chapters of the book since it wasn't what I was looking for and I cannot relate to the author at all, but obviously the story has resonated with many people already and the star power of the movie could do the same.

Here's a related question: How many of the hikers attracted by "Wild" will be women similar to the author and how many will be men hoping to meet the women they assume will be attracted by the movie?!?

[Gambit McCrae]

I dont think that the produciton of hiking movies are for one very inticing to people that do not hike. ALTHOUGH, after I watched The Way, I watched it a dozen more times, and I now want to walk to Camino De Santiago when I retire. But I also watched into the wild yet I do not want to move to alaska and live in a van

[Ricky&Jack]

I'm pretty sure a good number of us here "got turned onto hiking" after reading a book or watching a movie.

Was it good for you?

[Sarcasm the elf]

I'm pretty sure a good number of us here "got turned onto hiking" after reading a book or watching a movie.

Was it good for you?

My friend who is now my usual hiking partner only got off the couch and onto the trail after being inspired by the movie version of Into the Wild. So, yeah, it's a good thing.

[Ricky&Jack]

My friend who is now my usual hiking partner only got off the couch and onto the trail after being inspired by the movie version of Into the Wild. So, yeah, it's a good thing.

The book got me in 1999 or so.

it's my "catcher in the rye"

(3 softcovers.... 3 hardcovers + 1 signed... 1 framed movie poster... audio CD set... Audio Cassette set... iTunes dloaded on iPhone........ Still don't have the original magazine article though)

[gregpphoto]

I'm pretty sure a good number of us here "got turned onto hiking" after reading a book or watching a movie.

Was it good for you?

The best thing that ever happened to me (though not by way of pop culture, it was via cub and boy scouts). And I made my fair share of mistakes like washing dishes in a river. But I learned over time, before I even received formal training in LNT, but I know I'm one of the relative few that strictly abides by the 7 principles. Its not like its even remotely difficult to follow; all it takes is a little bit of effort and thought. I've met experienced hikers who think its ok to toss their orange peels because its bio-d, and while it is, doesnt the thought that maybe someone else doesnt wanna see their trash in the woods pop into their heads at some point? AHHHH!!! Im going to the woods.

[Sarcasm the elf]

The best thing that ever happened to me (though not by way of pop culture, it was via cub and boy scouts). And I made my fair share of mistakes like washing dishes in a river. But I learned over time, before I even received formal training in LNT, but I know I'm one of the relative few that strictly abides by the 7 principles. Its not like its even remotely difficult to follow; all it takes is a little bit of effort and thought. I've met experienced hikers who think its ok to toss their orange peels because its bio-d, and while it is, doesnt the thought that maybe someone else doesnt wanna see their trash in the woods pop into their heads at some point? AHHHH!!! Im going to the woods.

You don't want to rekindle the orange peel debate on this site. Trust me.

[lemon b]

IMHO.... Bad