Posting hiker whereabouts

[Jack Tarlin]

Don't want to create a ruckus here, but I'd really curious about getting other opinions on this, especially from women hikers.

There are several on-going threads at the moment where people post the names, dates, and whereabouts of various 2009 thru-hikers they've encountered.

I understand that if someone has an on-line diary or journal that tells the world pretty much where they are and what they're up to, well that's one thing. But am I the only one out here that thinks people should ASK hikers first before publicly posting their exact whereabouts, itinerary, destinations, etc.?

At the very least, I think folks should use some care with posting information about women hikers, especially solo women hikers. I have personally known women hikers who had "admirers" meet up with them in some pretty unusual and isolated locations, and they did NOT appreciate this attention, especially from folks they'd never heard of, and in several cases, were totally weirded out by it.

I simply don't think it's a particularly good idea to give too much information about where people are on the Trail, unless they OK your doing so. After all, if a poster says they encountered Susie So-and-So at XYZ road crossing at noon on August the first, it's not too tough to figure out where she'll likely be at day's end or the next morning.

In short, I think a little prudence and common sense is in order here.

Your thoughts?

[Pacific Tortuga]

I believe Jack is right. In this day and age of instant info there are too many demented individuals out there that take advantage of it. SO SAD & SICK.

[emerald]

The wishes of individual hikers regarding publishing their locations should be respected in most instances. People should not assume it's okay to broadcast others whereabouts. Images of hikers shouldn't be posted without their permission either, but that may be a separate issue best addressed in another thread.

WhiteBlaze should formulate a policy to guide posting of information to its Hiker Locator Forum and perhaps elsewhere. This policy should appear in the opening post of a sticky.

Of course, like most things related to the AT, how well this policy works would depend upon people being aware of it and respecting it.

Many people new to WhiteBlaze probably haven't given much if any thought to the issue and everyone would benefit from this issue being called to their attention or reminded of it. Sometimes people tend to forget that anyone with Internet access could see what's posted here.

[Yahtzee]

This is a toughie. I guess I would agree and suggest that we air on the side of caution, especially when it comes to females. I think if someone has a Trailjournal, or the like, or has previously posted their whereabouts on Whiteblaze or any other public repository, then posting their whereabouts would seem kosher. But if someone is just out there, hiking away, without posting their whereabouts or making a public stink about their doings, I'd just as soon not mention them in a post. (Although, I have probably been guilty of this a time or two) In the very least, wait several days (at a minimum) before posting when and where they were seen. I know several hikers, not just females, who have taken great umbrage with having their location posted on the web.

Information wants to be free, the saying goes, but that doesn't mean we can't suppress some info in the name of personal privacy.

[Jack Tarlin]

That being said, the folks at Hiker's Welcome were gratified to hear that Minnesota Smith is rapidly approaching Glencliff.

It gives them time to prepare.

(And for the humor impaired, that was a joke).

[Lone Wolf]

is he "welcome" there?

[Ladytrekker]

I know in reading some trail journals I could probably locate anyone I wanted too, they openly list who by trail name they are with and where they are at. I plan paddles and hikes with two different groups I am with and I make the groups private because people do not need to know where I park my car, when my house is empty, when and where I am on the trail. Our group also requires that a pic of the member and if you do not reply or go on a trip within 3 months of joining we remove you from the group and this is all done to protect us from harm but still be able to communicate and make plans online. I totally agree with Jack about this.

[max patch]

This is the 2nd or 3rd year you've mentioned this Jack (and for the 2nd or 3rd year I'll chime in that I agree with you 100%) but nothing ever changes. Someone meets a thru on a day or section hike and for some reason feels compelled to mention it on this website. Mods should immediately delete such posts.

[Yahtzee]

This is the 2nd or 3rd year you've mentioned this Jack (and for the 2nd or 3rd year I'll chime in that I agree with you 100%) but nothing ever changes. Someone meets a thru on a day or section hike and for some reason feels compelled to mention it on this website. Mods should immediately delete such posts.

I totally agree with your assessment, Max, but I do retain some sympathy for those who make the mistake of posting hiker info. It is thoughtless error, not malice, which spurs those on who post such info. Despite the internet's ubiquity in most people's everyday life , society is still determining the boundaries of what is and is not acceptable info to post to the web. While it may seem obvious to some, the freedom with which others post their whereabouts make the issue a bit murkier than it first appears. It is probably that way with a lot of info that is on the fringes of what is "personal". If this is in fact the third year Jack has posted a similar "conversation starter" that is a good thing. We could be, in effect, helping to make that determination. I guess I would judge tweeting a location to be worse than a daily trip report which would be worse than listing all those you saw on your week-long trek, etc., etc. The more time between the sighting the post the better.

I guess what I am saying is that the internet is still relatively new and, while we figure out what is kosher to post, I choose to give those who err a bit of slack.

Question: What if some claiming to be a hiker's parent or partner comes on WB and asks if anyone has seen their child or partner? Do we ignore that or delete any replies? It's a tough call.

[Blissful]

I am in agreement that women esp shouldn't post their itinerary in open forums, etc., nor should others. Since journals can be updated at various times, it doesn't mean you can tell where they will be at or what shelter, etc. But this can be tough too when writing in shelter logs. There are still some elements of risk.

[Boudin]

So are there any statistics about hikers being stalked on the internet, or burglarized because people got on the internet and determined the homeowner or tenant was out backpacking??? It seems that almost all of the violence that I have heard about on th AT has been random opportunity.

[Frick Frack]

I was amazed last year on our SOBO the handful of people we met who knew us from following our Trailjournal. Nothing like walking up to a total stranger who calls you by your name, knows when you started, knows where you are from, etc. It was kinda flattering but my wife & I were hiking together and it might be uncomfortable if we were solo. I'm guilty of exploiting a few on WB that I delivered to the trailhead or passed on day hikes but will refrain from doing so in the future. Not mentioning names is 100% a good idea but honestly weirdo's could find out 100 times more information about anyone on the trail by reading the registers than reading WB.

[Lauriep]

Our Personal Safety & Awareness Tips for A.T. Hikers state, "Be wary of posting your location or itinerary on on-line journals in real time. A password-protected blog or site can offer more protection." By extension, anyone concerned about the safety of A.T. hikers should avoid posting real-time locations or planned itineraries of hikers without their permission.

Laurie Potteiger
ATC

[max patch]

So are there any statistics about hikers being stalked on the internet, or burglarized because people got on the internet and determined the homeowner or tenant was out backpacking??? It seems that almost all of the violence that I have heard about on th AT has been random opportunity.

Back when WF published journals a young man developed a crush on a female hiker from reading her journal. He figured out where she would be and "met" her at a road crossing one weekend. Really freaked the young lady out. After that WF "held" updates to journals for a week or so to make it more difficult for someone to guess where a hiker would be on a particular day.

As far as robberies, a month or so ago a well known blogger "tweeted" to his followers that he was heading out for a week long vacation. Came home to an empty house. Said it didn't even cross his mind at the time, but in retrospect his tweet was a stupid thing to do.

[max patch]

. It is thoughtless error, not malice, which spurs those on who post such info.

I agree...

[emerald]

Question: What if someone claiming to be a hiker's parent or partner comes on WB and asks if anyone has seen their child or partner? Do we ignore that or delete any replies?

Ordinarily someone close to a hiker should have the ability to contact the hiker directly and should not need to be inquiring here. There may be occasions when it would be appropriate to post an inquiry about a hiker's location. Such posts and the best way to respond to them might need to be determined on a case-by case basis by administrators.

Not mentioning names is 100% a good idea, but, honestly, weirdos could find out 100 times more information about anyone on the trail by reading the registers than reading WB.

Good reason to consider carefully what's posted in shelter registers. However, there's a big difference between WhiteBlaze and shelter registers. It takes more ambition and time to access information in registers.

[Big Dawg]

Right on, Jack.

[Puppy]

When I was hiking and posting on trailjournals, one of my friends was reading it and decided to surprise me, and was able to figure out when I would be at Newfound Gap within about a 1 hour wait at the gap !

It was a welcome sight because it was my friend and I was so happy -

...but I am sure some freak-a-zoid might be able to figure it out too if they are familiar with the area....so it would be better if only your friends know where you are at exactly, especially a solo female.

[Homer&Marje]

Don't want to create a ruckus here, but I'd really curious about getting other opinions on this, especially from women hikers.

There are several on-going threads at the moment where people post the names, dates, and whereabouts of various 2009 thru-hikers they've encountered.

I understand that if someone has an on-line diary or journal that tells the world pretty much where they are and what they're up to, well that's one thing. But am I the only one out here that thinks people should ASK hikers first before publicly posting their exact whereabouts, itinerary, destinations, etc.?

At the very least, I think folks should use some care with posting information about women hikers, especially solo women hikers. I have personally known women hikers who had "admirers" meet up with them in some pretty unusual and isolated locations, and they did NOT appreciate this attention, especially from folks they'd never heard of, and in several cases, were totally weirded out by it.

I simply don't think it's a particularly good idea to give too much information about where people are on the Trail, unless they OK your doing so. After all, if a poster says they encountered Susie So-and-So at XYZ road crossing at noon on August the first, it's not too tough to figure out where she'll likely be at day's end or the next morning.

In short, I think a little prudence and common sense is in order here.

Your thoughts?

That depends on where they're hiking. If they are in some states it might be considered part of a complete itinerary having the entire internet tracking where you are with a spot tracker and a hand held gps in your.....pack.

Don't mean to cause a ruckus though, just my thoughts that in some states it might be beneficial

[Cannibal]

It certainly is not a difficult thing to find a hiker on the AT. I was 'found' on three separate occasions by people who did not look or smell like hikers because they weren't. I didn't even keep a trail journal past the first month.

I agree that maybe it shouldn't be broadcast, but I don't think anybody should fool themselves into thinking they are safe and secure because folks don't post their locations on WB and the like.