Ear plugs. Christmas gift for your bro. Buy. Tell him to make then a basic in his traveling kit.
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my sentiments exactly. I prob would have been cordial enough to give them a couple minutes of casual conversation while standing at the "edge" of my campsite.... like the front porch of my house.... a couple questions and answers
but questions get too deep, or personal, or just too many (inconsiderate of my time)...I would have it it off just like you did.
...and don't even think about digging through my stuff.
Wow, I didn't realize this was still going on. Ha ha.
So... yeah, I probably could have handled it better.
And yeah, they probably could have done it different.
I take a hike every fall to clear all the cobwebs. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Mostly, I just want to be left alone. So.... perhaps I am just annoyed with people. Hahaha. But that doesn't mean they're right. Doesn't mean I'm right either.
But now I know that NO is the appropriate response.
Just so everyone knows, I keep a clean camp. And I've hiked enough to know how to bury my poop. And I've never left anything in the woods intentionally. One time I forgot a spork though by accident.
So, I think I may have taken it a little personal that my camp was suspect, since I take pride in keeping a clean camp.
I'd have to agree that they were ok on their end because they asked if they could look around. Kind of like a gear shakedown. If they didn't improve your knowledge, hike on without being OR feeling like a jerk. We've all been to sites where we wished there had been poop police. LNT is more important, on the whole, than you feeling bruised after you told them they could look around.
Those West Virginia LNT surveillance cops you encountered are pestering the wrong people---how could they have missed this major violation of the Leave No Trace policy???
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...op_Removal.jpg
Oh, that's definitely LNT - they've left no trace there was ever a mountaintop there. :(
It could go either way. I never had a run-in with the Poop Police, but I have had encounters with some type of volunteer safety patrol at boat ramps. They have always been elderly/retired volunteers that will approach you and check you for compliance with state boating safety laws (fire extinguisher, life jackets, etc....). The first time I didn't know they weren't official, so I obliged them. Once I found out they were volunteer and had no enforcement powers, I try to avoid them because 1) I am in compliance and 2) a man is just trying to get home after a long day on the water. Who wants to stick around for a 20 minute lecture.
So I will say this about your situation...they were within bounds and I applaud their efforts, but so were you for just wanting to get moving. Bygones be bygones.
As a female solo hiker my pat response, "To protect my privacy and security...no thank you." The word NO just by itself is always powerful and does not require justification. If they continue, just stare at their forehead as they talk. that will make them leave.