If I had a dollar for everyone who told me how dangerous backpacking is especially solo, especially because I’m female and especially because I’m old, I’d be very rich. On another note, once in Oregon in massive mosquito season I could not find a cut off trail to a lake I wanted to camp at. Got lots of useless and very wrong directions from other hikers. Bought a Garmin.
I had this problem as a solo female as well. Very annoying. I had several people prior to starting try to convince me to bring a gun. I did narrowly miss the McKinney fire and that was a legit issue. It was raining ash like crazy on me.
I'd say there's a fine line between fearmongering and just giving people a head's up about something. Unfortunately, a lot of people panic even then when they're just getting factual information about a situation, and it's hard to control what they do in response. You just have to worry about yourself and know your own comfort zone.
Anxiety disorder is accepted today as a personality trait and not so much as a mental illness It’s totally cool nowadays for one with major anxiety to freak the fuck out and let that part of themselves speak for who and what they are and they virtually every single god damn time let that fucker steer the wheel as they cruise the road of life These are the ones who immediately jump into panic mode and make rash decisions when a perfectly mentally healthy passerby just happens to mention that there’s a puddle on the trail coming up in about 400ft…. These again are the same people who do the intense gossip and massive fear mongering you’re referring to as well - walking around in panic mode spreading nothing but falacies and embellishments about something that is unlikely to affect anybody that’s on the trail… It’s laughable and silly - leave the anxiety at home for work and bills and raising kids and dealing with the daily grind of life; taking it to the woods is just plain childish and unnecessary…..
A lot of people also make content now and jazz sh*t up to get a following for a profit which often plays on people's emotions. I'd hate to fear the woods. Can't look forward to them enough honestly .
this goes both ways, i was in my backyard {desolation wilderness} in early spring, i came across a pct hiker group on top of dicks pass. this group walked straight out on to the cornice peaked over the edge and proceeded to talk about leaving the trail and sliding down the snowfield. i mentioned how it was unsafe to chill on the lip of the cornice. they just looked at me dismissive and continued chatting, my point is the truth is somewhere in the middle. there is such a thing as too adventurous as well as too cautious.
@@aaalllen i did, and that was the pass not the peak. just laying tracks out to a cornice can weaken it and sets folks on the wrong path, however if the conditions are right. it saves a lot of time. you just need to be aware of the snow conditions at all times, glissading down a frozen chute is really dumb and is asking for trouble.
All the advice in the world can't fix congenital stupidity. You can only live in de-nial until de-crock drags you under and puts the death roll on your @$$.
I will tell you that having hiked most of the PCT this summer, there are A LOT of very inexperienced people on trail. I met a guy on trail the first day who said he'd never used his water filter before. This was halfway up Morena Butte where he'd already run out of water. I continued to meet very inexperienced hikers all along the way. I attribute this to the rise in popularity of backpacking due to social media channels (here and IG mostly) making it look easy. And to be honest, it's a lot easier now than it was when I was in my 20s (pre social media) - the reliance on Trail Angels via Facebook by people in their 20s is kind of appalling to me. For rides, places to stay, DOING LAUNDRY... lol. It's like a bunch of children. I think this is one factor in why fear mongering might seem like a problem. For someone my age who has been doing this longer than a lot of the younger hikers I met have been alive, I never felt "fear-mongered" because I know what's what. I think the less experience you have, the more you're susceptible to "fear mongering" because you simply don't know any better. There's just so many people who have yet to experience real world, real life, challenges. Their whole existence has been with a smart phone in their hand, and in online forums and on social media platforms. So their understanding of reality is so skewed that when reality rears its ugly head, they panic, spread fear, and believe fearful rumors. It's kinda sad.
Years ago, as a beginner backpacker, I had an older man in his late 60s tell me I could never do the JMT bc it was too hard and too advanced, let alone do it solo. He added that I definitely couldn’t do it solo. This is after finishing passage 1 of the AZT in one day…as a beginner. So I did it! Solo! Had to get off bc of a sinus infection, but I was doing it!
I hiked the JMT in 2015 as my 3rd backpacking trip ever and solo (oh my!). It did not seem all that risky to me. I've read a lot of that fear mongering stuff on Facebook and UA-cam comments since.
It wasn't fear-mongering but I heard from hikers in Idyllwild that a bunch of people got sick from the Warner Springs Community Center spigot, which was supposed to be potable. They were just all having the same issues and trying to figure out what the common element was. Like when two out of six people who ate at the same cookout get sick and only after discussing it do they both realize they ate the potato salad. Anyway - I also got sick on trail in the days after Warner Springs and I realized it was probably because of the spigot at the community center. I'd been thinking it must have been the sausage from the gas station. Which was awesome. And I was glad to find out that it probably wasn't the sausage. Oh - and if you're in Warner Springs, I recommend filtering the water from the community center spigot. And I highly recommend the sausages made by local sausage genius Mad Mike, sold at the gas station. LOL
So true! I was watching IBTAT on the John Freakin’ Muir Podcast the other day and he was talking about that and how when he got to the northern part of the PCT people were telling him he shouldn’t go, it was too dangerous. He said he needed to see it with his own eyes. He wasn’t going to risk his life, he’d turn back if he found it was necessary, but he wasn’t going to take the word of some hikers. He said it was fine. So yeah, I believe it. Thanks for putting this out there.
I was watching him on his PCT hike and it WAS dangerous! Snowstorm conditions, several feet of snow, blinding snow where you don't see the trail on really steep slopes for miles, snowed in tent etc it would have helped to have snowshoes but not for seeing the trail! He was in a 3 man group and they went through it but many times IBTAT said then, how dangerous it is!!! It seems with all those years passed, he does paint it a little too beautiful lol only 2 years have passed since then! You can go watch it back, I don't think I'm exaggerating too much here! 😉(I NEVER would have done this myself, nope)
@@annegallagher4005 oh yes, absolutely! I was just talking about this one area that he specifically spoke of in his interview on the mentioned podcast. I’m not talking about his entire PCT hike. He mentioned fear mongering in that interview, about this specific location, that’s why I commented on it.
@@kristinedgerton700 my bad that I haven't watched the podcast (yet... will do soon) I was talking about the Washington part... Feathers (a girl and she was tough) that hiked with him didn't do the last section, he was bold enough to try it... this is the section I was talking about in my comment! I was clenching my buttcheeks with every upload from this section and me watching his videos.. he and his group of guys were hero's in my eyes!! (I was so glad he made it through safely, it really was super sketchy) But yes fearmongering is sure going around on thru-hike trails, mostly from NOT experienced hikers (some never hiked before) so yeah, the best it to try it out first and decide what to do when something comes up! Thanks for replying!
@@annegallagher4005 oh, no worries! Yeah, I’m not sure of the exact section he was talking about. Yes, Kate (feathers) is badass, so if she didn’t do it it must’ve been super sketchy. I ran into her a few times this past summer around Damascus. Saw she and IBTAT with Little Leaf, and then while she was camping and painting on her tent. I think she’s headed back east now to deliver some paintings. I think you’re right that most of it comes from folks who really don’t hike. Good intentions, like Kyle said. Yeah, I haven’t seen his entire PCT hike, I’ll have to go watch the episodes I missed.
I very much agree with you here. I had a similar situation happen in 2019 when a trail angel in Washington was telling people on FB to "go home" because there was a snowstorm coming to the northern Cascades. I was in Stevens Pass at the time and I'm glad I didn't listen because yeah, hiking in knee-deep snow sucked, but I still finished and hikers finished behind even weeks later. There's a big difference between something being uncomfortable and being dangerous. It pissed me off that someone who wasn't even on trail was giving this advice based on weather reports and not on-the-ground conditions, and without accounting for hikers' experience and risk assessment. The best thing to do in these cases is to check things out for yourself and make your own decisions.
Someone sharing their opinion about potentially dangerous weather pisses you off? The thing about on-the-ground conditions is that they change, and unless you're some type of weather shaman, you have to use weather reports to make informed decisions. I'm glad you were able to safely complete your hike, but I'm sure search and rescue professionals wouldn't be happy with the sentiment you're expressing. Your last sentence reminds me of the adage: "every corpse on Mt Everest was once a highly motivated person."
Fear mongering about wildfires on the PCT can get really bad because it detracts from when wildfires really are an issue. It's hard to get real time info on conditions, but I wasted many hours trying to plan out the last section of trail (Nobo 2021) after there was so much fear mongering about a fire in Mazama. Turns out it was not a big deal. However, some fires like the Dixie Fire were very much a big deal.
Yes, this is a problem. I was volunteering on the section of the PCT on Mt Hood from Timberline Lodge to Lolo Pass road when the Dollar Fire blew up.. The FS came on the radio and asked me to evacuate all hikers immediately through a very short access trail. A few hikers ignored my evacuation directions and got stopped by the county sheriff just before they reached the fire line. Too much fear mongering made them a bit overly adventurous.
Staying off Facebook is the exact opposite of ignorance. Being on it only informs you of the opinions of people that only want to speak their opinions in an echo chamber, and never have their opinions and assumptions challenged; there's not a lot of factual information you can ever learn from that.
There's 2 sides to this. I've seen several people who really didn't belong on the PCT who were out there on their 1st hikes because they watched Wild. I've also been told I'm irresponsible for hiking by myself, hiking without an InReach, hiking off trail, etc. Personally, I try to just state the facts of what I've seen or hiked through with little or no commentary unless asked for my opinion.
I was hiking through Southern VA and I heard that people got sick from drinking from a water tap at the Settler's Museum of Southern Virginia. I never did find out if that was real or not. I stayed there but got water from the schoolhouse. Struck me as unlikely that a developed water source like that would be the source of sickness - maybe hiker's transmitting something via the spigot maybe. A few miles away there WAS a problem with deer carcasses left by hunters upstream of where the trail crossed. Lots of warning signs out about it. That to me seems more likely to be the source of the illness throughout the area. So sometimes the info is real but like a game of telephone, it gets transformed with each retelling.
I think I’ve figured out the reason for fear mongering. Nobody wants to be alone when quitting, they’re trying to get others to quit with them plus the fear keeps getting bigger to justify them being quitters. I have a dream of the PCT in April ‘25 (retirement) . Serious injury or death is what it’s gonna take to get me to quit. No cheating either.
I remember I was 10yrs old in the late 70’s, there were rumors about a van full of clowns driving around kidnapping kids. Scared the crap out of me! Damn fear mongering!
I had a salesjerk at the NOC tell me that I needed BOOTS to hike the AT when I stopped in to buy a new pair of trail runners last spring. I had 200 miles on the worn-out shoes BEFORE I hit the trail at AFSP. I have been distance hiking in trail runners since the turn of the century. I was 68 years old at the time and carry a light pack (which the salesperson never saw or questioned me about). I also worked for REI in the mid 1980s. Lesson for salesjerk salespeople: Qualify your customer by asking questions before giving ignorant advice. Oh, yeah, this salesman wasn't exactly a kid, either. Maybe he just had wimpy old man ankle muscles. I was in the middle of a 275 mile section hike. I completed the 2,000 plus mile AT hike last month. I'm planning a thruhike next year. 😉 I will be turning 70 in July
That's crazy dude, those same stories about the waterborne illness north of Tehachapi was spreading around last year too! Never any first hand accounts, but people were saying a whole trail family got sick and someone had to be heli evaced out of there. Last year I met one guy in Stehekin who got so caught up in the fear spreading about a cold front (fear mongered into a snow storm) incoming that week, and he quit his hike then and there. Blows my mind. The spread of information on trail can be super helpful, but often times it's so embellished and hyperbolized that it's usefulness is shot and straight up harmful.
I learned what’s best is just to describe the conditions on trail… like the river is 60ft wide, 2 feet deep, maybe 35° and moving maybe 15mph. That way you can decide if that’s going to be a problem for you or not.
Be careful, be realistic about your abilities, and maintain situational awareness at all times. Have an evacuation plan if things DO go bad. That said - "Cowards die many times before their deaths. The valiant never taste of death but once." I read this in Cinnabar, the One O'Clock Fox as a kid, and it's good advice.
Just ran into this on a thru hike last week. We were told water sources were ‘bone dry’ for over 13 miles. We stocked up on lbs of water that we got out of a sketchy mud puddle. There were actually plenty of good water sources every mile or so. The rest of the hike we laughed everytime we saw a ‘bone dry’ stream. It sucked because we drank sketchy water and carried a lot of water over mountains because of fear mongering.
I had something similar while in Yosemite in 2020. I asked two groups of hikers headed the other way if they had seen water between where i met them and a lake about 7 (then 6.5) miles away and was told no. Guess what, there was a creek about 100 feet parallel to the trail 4 miles away. How can people be that stupid.
Problem is people have different contexts. Many times I have been told water wasn't available by well meaning hikers only to find a great water source. One time it was some town kids. To them, there was just a puddle. To me, it was actually a spring with nice water (to be filtered, of course.)
I get agitated with those videos about horror stories on the AT, not as much about the stories, but more about the comment sections. People would say things like “anyone that solo hikes without a firearm is an idiot”. It would be somewhat comical but the people that feed into those comments may deter other people from even going out on the trails.
THANK YOU! this was such a problem this year! I don't know if it always is. I was there during this time. I remember hearing of TWO people that got sick. I think one of these reports came from a friend of the person that got sick if I recall correctly. They weren't even sure it was the water or what water it was. That also doesn't mean it was an algae bloom. It was blown out of proportion. I did end up skipping a small part of that section, including where this potential source supposedly was, but for reasons completely unrelated. I wasn't worried about the water at all. But, there were a couple people in my bubble that liked to just not filter water. They figured the risk of getting sick was low and they didn't feel like carrying a filter. I think that's a pretty unsafe attitude and they are probably the ones to get sick, tbh. So. Yeah. Dumb people. Now there WAS an outbreak of COVID in my bubble in early June. I got it, a bunch of other people got it coming out of Kennedy Meadows South. That was a legit issue that people WEREN'T taking seriously and as a healthcare worker, it pissed me off. One of my friends literally was coughing up gobs of blood in the passes. A few of us got altitude sickness as a consequence of having COVID at elevation and had to come down. I had to skip most of the Sierras because every time I went up I was having too much difficulty breathing. That was a huge blow to my morale. I'm going to go back next year to do it.
I was 2 weeks behind you from my start in South KM in early July; and pretty much stayed that way until you started jumping North due to trail closures. Concerns about the McKinney fire closure, N CA heat, and the 100 mile Dixie fire burn scar ended up scaring all but a small percentage of us to flip North to WA. My experience as a SOBO PCT hiker in 2021 made me suspect the rumors to be fear mongering; and expressed this to the various other hikers. Most still flipped North by Chester. When I arrived at the McKinney fire area, the PCT had reopened all but 50 miles near Seiad Valley and had I taken a couple extra zeros, that section would have opened as well. The Dixie burn scar was not much different than the burn scars elsewhere on the trail (most of Oregon is pretty much a burn scar these days) and the N CA heat while warm was manageable with proper hydration and electrolyte consumption. Most of those that I was traveling ended up just running into more obstacles as their jumps North didn't help them avoid the various fires/closures in the trail and essentially caused discouragement to where they didn't bother to return and finish those sections of trail that would have been easy to complete had they stayed and not let rumors discourage them.
I was there for the McKinney fire when it was at it's worst. It was bad. You should never encourage people to underestimate fire closures or treat fire nonchalantly. Besides the fire itself, the air quality was terrible. Of course hiking in smoke and ash is more a matter of comfort and preference so a simple and accurate report of that is all that's necessary. But at the time I was there the fire was spreading fast and a lot of people had to be evacuated. It is also generally ill-advised to camp in burn areas as the trees are at high risk of falling or dropping large branches. I witnessed this myself more than once. One of my hiking partners has also encountered the scene of a death from falling trees. Soon after burns there can remain pockets of smouldering material under the dirt that can reignite as well. I don't think that is super common but these are the realities of burn areas and should be made known. Education is what's important, not scaring people away. The thing about fires is, maybe the risks are unlikely but the severity of possible injuries can be bad. So if it's open, then let people make up their own minds. Scaring people off is unnecessary.
As a Pennsylvanian I always am humored by the talk about all of our rocks! LOL! The only obstacle in Pennsylvania that truly seems to be an annoyance is that damn beaver pond/damn. Have a good week!
Ya we don’t even have real mountains here just hills lol, it’s funny seeing people with poles like they are in the Arctic mountains or the alps, I’ve climbed up steep snowy mountains with no poles, poles are for posers man haha
We hiked the PCT last year, about the same time as you and heard all the fear mongering about the illnesses and potentially contaminated water. However, in the 750 miles we ended up hiking, from Campo to the Sierra, we filtered all of the water we drank - from spigots, restrooms, refillable water bottles at caches, streams - basically if it wasn't coming from a sealed water bottle, we filtered. Never got sick - a little extra time and effort and we got some looks when we filtered at some caches, but the peace of mind (and not getting sick) was worth it.
Fear mongering happens even on regular day hike trails. Someone told my sister there was a rattlesnake blocking the trails so they decided to turn back. I asked why she would do that. It's a desert trail, there is usually a way around and asked what she would've done if there was no other choice but to keep on. The person that started it planted the seed and my sister watered it. I would have kept going. Some people are drama queens. They thrive on it and like to perpetuate it. It makes them feel important.
Even local news does fear mongering. We went to Asia to hike the highest mountain in the Philippines. When we got there, local news channels were saying there's a level 3 storm and the possibility of trails getting flooded and then there's danger to life. Because our return flight is nearing, we couldn't afford to delay the hike. We pushed through and guess what, it was all wind and some drizzle. Yes there were trees falling and some smaller branches flying around but we didn't get the flood everyone was telling about. We managed to find safe camping sites for the next few nights and we were able to complete the hike despite the wind. News companies will do everything to scare people.
I actually had a great time in Duncannon lmao. Had to take a zero to wait for my buddy’s shoes, had some fun at the Doyle and that breakfast diner had unbeatable prices!
"Fear mongering" is rampant on the AT regarding,,,, nearly everything. "XYZ hostel was mean to me!" causing other hikers to avoid and spread "The news" when if you really found out the true story, that hiker / group came in DEMANDING things not available & etc. they were actually the problem & staff got tired of them. I often tell new hikers: "EVERY; root rock & bump in the trail will have someone who thinks it is wonderful, and someone who will HATE it with absolute certainty that it was out to get them!! Yeah, it needs to STOP!
Every.Single.Trail. I had some Sobo on the NPT tell me I have no idea how hard the trail is going to be for me the next day; even though I'd already hiked the NPT three times before. Same on the Long Trail. Yeah buddy i know the northern half is a little more rugged, but it's not like going from an Iowa cornfield to the Sierra. Chill out.
Wait until you see some vicious Drop Bears or the endangered Tree Octopus! The fear is real! Ticks and snakes and weasels ripped my flesh while I slept. And don't forget the deadly snapes!
You are so right! I absolutely ran into this on the PCT this last August. I section hiked Wa K. The infamous "blow down section" was no where near what it was reported to be. The Kennedy Creek crossing was not horrific (when we crossed) either. The reports for both gave me some serious nerves before- hand but ended up being so overinflated.
I accidentally drank water from Robinbird spring without treatment and surprisingly I did not get sick from it. I collected the water from the cistern up on the hill. Good memories I'll never forget there was a bear 🐻 there, fun times.
Same in the Sierras I was very annoyed after Muir pass I was letting some other hikers know in the hut I was was over people telling me how hard every pass was before I got to it. I remember always being nervous about every pass and waiting for the “hard” section. Finally after Muir pass I had enough of people talking to me as I never experienced any of the problems or difficulties these other people had. I actually said I’m over the fear mongering around here and walked off. Ha
Hey Kyle, unfortunately fear mongering is super prevalent on trail and through social media. My top 5 most popular videos can be considered “fear mongering”. They just blew up when my other happy videos stay stagnant.. the people love a good scary story. 😕
The media, and social media is definitely part of this, have long since figured out the two easiest ways to get people's attention are to appeal to their fear, and/or their anger. For whatever reason people like to pay attention to stories that make them afraid or angry.
Agree. that was happened on PCT in 2019, most of North-bound hikers skipped Sierra and flipped to north before seeing Sierra snow. Once hikers started to flip. They would hesitate to flip again and again. End of Most of people flipped 2, 3 times. There were messy all over trail in the rest of 2019 hiking year. Someone called those flippers were PCT flip hikers.
Reminds me of when they told people not to float the green river, in wa, after a small rain storm rolled threw in late spring. We went and assessed the river temp and flow of the river, and it was not anything like they were hyping it up to be, so we hopped in and floated it on inner tubes. Most fun i have ever had floating that river, and funny part was the news had came by with a helicopter to show just how bad the river is, to then have us ruin their shot as we came floating by smiling and waiving at the helicopter in their live news report.
While staying in a hut on the Alta Via 2, there was one hiker who was telling people that the next section was very sketchy, that its for experienced mountaineers only, you can't go without carabiners and a harness, etc etc etc. Convinced a few in this remote hut to take an alternate route down into the valley to a nearby village. My party and I were looking at the guidebook and while they said it was challenging, it wasn't impossible. We were right, scaredy cat was wrong. That guy irked me to no end.
Whenever I see a reroute due to a bridge being out I stay on trail. I’m either going to turn around after assessing conditions, finding an alternate adventurous way to cross, or cross on the sketchy-ass bridge that’s still sort of standing.
It didn't take me long to quit listening to advice or opinions of other hikers on my thru hike. Related I really wish Guthooks would identify comments NOBO vs. SOBO - the opinions of the different groups is such a different perspective.
First, this is also true on the CDT (Cougar Bait, attempt in `21). Second, I also agree that the worst examples of fear mongering was in the Facebook group(s). You are right that most people seemed to have good intentions and (most of the time) whatever was being talked about was something to be aware of. However, it was the tone of the comments/discussions that turned to fear mongering. So maybe a couple of rules here. 1. Don't add to the discussion unless you have first-hand experience or direct factual knowledge. 2. Keep to the facts. Something like "several miles of extensive blow downs" instead of "blowdowns seriously messed with my mind and I should have died". I learned to assume that whatever was being mongered(?) was less bad than being discussed.
What also needs to stop is when an obviously inexperienced hiker asks a question like is it safe to cross a 30 degree snowfield with 6 feet of fresh snow on it and an experienced mountaineer tells why it is unsafe and how to mitigate the danger and the mountaineer immediately gets shouted down as a fearmonger and don't listen to the fearmonger.
I just stumbled on a channel recently that appears to be entirely dedicated to scaring people away from going in the woods. There are probably many more out there, irs ridiculous.
Kyle, if you run into any thru hikers that completed the trail in 2003, give them props dude. They are Gods! I hiked in 2002 and it was a dry year. 2003 out of the normal 180-day hiking season, roughly March 15th to September 15th, it rained 129 days.
meanwhile hiking in the balkans be like: no proper weather predictions, slidy af, barren trail signage, and goat farmers defying the laws of gravity 80 years old deep squatting on an unstable mound of rocks lmao
So, my impression is that the majority of the people doing a thru hike actually are doing their first thru hike(including me) and often have very little experience backpacking(I had a fair amount of experience, but still a beginner). So yeah they may not be able to give the best advice. They are also probably not from the area. I would say while I had some bad weather overall it was pretty good.h
😂👍 great show it was like hidden images inside of cartoons you never thought was there... Some of the chosen words surprised me that it passed UA-cam guidelines... But yeah they really should like have information that's accurate coming through like trail runners or something so people don't worry and can actually be informed of what's going on... Im one of those people who is introverted and would probably never hear 🙉 anything anyways cause people make me nervous to talk too... They either like me or hate me so I try to travel with a talkative friend so they can find things out... I would probably not know where to look up important information too... I grew up my dad would just take us out in the woods and get us lost and then we would find a road and call mom to pick us up... It was fun beautiful sites on are adventures... We found a underground river once crossing around a ridge the ground was open you could see water coming out one area and it going back underground on the outside... That was a good day... Stay safe and have fun...
So I watched 6 different hikers this year on the PCT (yes you and your crew are one of them) and 3 got sick, (around the Hikervillage section) because they got the C-beerbug, one person had to give fully up because they felt really really bad even after 3 weeks of having the C-beerbug (and taking one week off because of high fever), they felt having no energy at all in the heat, really weak and nauseated and had to postpone their hike for another year. (this person was really, deeply heartbroken) The 2 others went on after couple of zero's... that's the info I have, never heard about that someone mentioned a drinking water problem, I would remember that! Thanks for calling out the fearmongrer!!!
@@deborahlozano7134 Good Morning... just didn't wanted to use trigger words on YT lol I think where I live in Europe the word Beerbug, everyone knows what it means... this is why I included the letter C to hopefully make it more obvious for non Europeans (maybe it was a little too much?) Anyway, wishing you a splendid day! 😊
I did the JMT SB in 2019, legit high snow year. We got fearmongered off trail (plus being miserable) at kearsarge pass. We were told that since we were going the opposite direction as PCT hikers, some of the passes would be impassable. I wish I’d kept going but am glad I came back 3 months later and finished more pleasantly.
I did the JMT in 2018. Supposed to be a super smoky year with a bunch of fires and I wouldn't see any of the view. I got denied 36 times to go south so I was going north. The trail was empty and I saw all the views. I could have gotten a walk up permit for northbound. I was kind of pissed because people took all the permits and none of them went but I was denied 36 times....
The highlight of this video was imagining you getting hammered in Duncannon. What a town. But seriously, the fearmongering I experienced during my AT thru really hampered some of the people in my trail family. I actually had to talk one of them down out of an anxiety attack over something that, in hindsight, wasn't actually a big deal.
I remember peacefully hiking in Georgia getting my ass kicked by the hilly terrain and roots that I wasn’t used to, a handful of hikers from The northern states said just wait till you reach The whites Let’s just say I was afraid of the whites until I finished w them
The water rumours really bugged me because everyone was so worried about getting sick from these water sources, but then you hit KMS, that didn’t have soap in the bathroom. Maybe people were getting sick from cramming 6 people in a hotel room in Tehachapi or not washing your hands at KMS ya jabronis!
The fear mongering is unreal but it just isn't with the long distant trails like the AT or the PCT. You see it everywhere even on short trails like the Art Loeb Trail which you have done. If you listen to them the only way that you will make it through the Shinning Rock Wilderness portion of the trail is to have a paper map and compass because it isn't very well marked. They will make it sound like there is some vortex or something and any electronic guide like the MST Guide, Gaia, etc will just fail you or completely not work and you will be on the side of a cliff or something. I have thru hike the trail with only the MST guide on my phone. I have hiked in the the Shinning Rock Wilderness before without a compass and map. I am not sure what these people are talking about because I never got lost or stuck on the side of a cliff and found the trail pretty easy to follow. It may not be marked as well as the AT but it is marked well enough to get around it especially if you are not brand new to hiking. That is just one example and trail.
Why are you fear mongering about the dangers of fear mongering? Now I'm deathly afraid of people who fear monger, and have decided to stop hiking and camping. Instead, I will stay at home and watch Netflix and UA-cam videos. Much safer!
All of these "ultra lights" that are actually gear-hoarding packadillos make me sick. I carry a terry cloth in a non-zip sandwich bag, that's it... And the bag is pushing it.
It boils down to our egos. We believe we have special information that no one else has. There is thusly an "inbalance" when dealing with another person. "I" am more/know more/ know more than "you". Once you pass along the information, your "superiority" is on full display. I do it. You do it. Everyone does it, mostly subconsciously. And then there's the "pissing contest" players out there...but that's a whole other video for yoy.
I was happy I was already in that section when FarOut comments went ballistic. I didn’t have to go through the debate of should or shouldn’t we skip. What set it off in the first place was the pcta commenting on the farout app. People took that seriously. I’m certain that Tehachapi is just a petri dish where hikers pile 10 people into the hotel rooms. I didn’t get sick and I avoided the crowds and touching the registries until mile 700!
T-Town! My fmr stomping grounds 🤩 The same discussion happened in 2020 season. Again, no proof what so ever. On the fb groups, there are a lot of armchair hikers chiming in when they aren't even ot. Hikers probably had a better chance of getting stalked by a mountain lion through there than poisoned by algae. Did you guys zero there? Hope ya had fun! 🐻
Fear mongers abound on trail and on Facebook. Two years ago when I did the JMT folks were canceling their hikes based on inaccurate reports about fires and “potential” spreading which where completely inaccurate. It’s all about the fear these days.
As a "geriatric millennial," our stereotype of younger people is they're very fragile and have been shielded from hardship and failure. Also I was once a source for a news article at work. The journalists seem like liberal arts majors trying to write a paper on a subject they know little about and they're on a tight schedule. Journalism isn't what it used to be.
Fear mongering. The news does it every day. And everybody falls for it. Almost everybody. Great video! Is your video editor available now that you're off trail?
Bro, take a nyc subway ride in the 70s/80s .. now that's fearful.... all this current bullshit about crime is total fear bs.... the only thing I fear is mice in the shelters .. those little MOFOs scare the living shit out of me.
@@frolege1 Sorry but you should study crime statistics before you make a comment like this. Crime is on the rise in most cities in California at least. From property crime to violent crime. Which happens in cities. Which is not the PCT. So I guess I'd just say your comment seems super irrelevant.
I grew up in N.Y. in the 70's. trains weren't that bad. Its all in perspective as your comment is fear mongering. Nothing every happened to me on train was perfectly safe on my own at 10
Anytime you have a bunch of people who have signed up for an 'adventure' above their experience level, you get exaggerated stories. It could be a moderately experienced mountaineer who's having their first glacier experience or a family's first safari, people *need* to have a unique experience so badly (even if it's something thousands of people are doing every day) that they will hype up risks and dangers. We didn't just see a lion, we saw a lion that may have been the one that was rumored to have attacked a woman in a village a few months ago! Get a group of novices together and it gets much worse. That group who flipped? Sure it cost them a lot of money, but it's totally worth it to them because now they have a story of narrowly avoiding CERTAIN DEATH on the AT and needed to make the difficult choice to swallow their pride and change their plan (such wisdom!). Risk calculations that are at or above your experience level are always a bit dramatic, so it's really important to look for the people with first-hand experience who are operating BELOW their experience level. A group of experienced climbers coming down the mountain and saying "I dunno, after the heavy rain the exposed section of the trail is pretty sketch" has a lot more weight than a 22 year old on their first thru hike saying "That part of the trail with the drop-off was the SCARIEST TRAIL OF MY LIFE! I'd never do it if it was WET!"
That same rumor spread at the same section of the PCT last year. So either they’re just recycling rumors year to year or there’s some perennial toxic water source that we need to identify.
What is being described here is just how rumors and info spreads by word of mouth, details, especially challenges or hardships, become exaggerated in the telling. It’s a quite normal and predictable part of human communication. Fear-mongering is intentionally stoking fear to manipulate people.
What we’ve learned over the years, is you have to remain calm. Hear what’s being said, check it out, but be prepared just in case. More times than not, everything’s fine.
@@KyleHatesHiking It looks like you got a one hitter or a blunt tucked on your left ear until about 3/4 way through video only to find it's just part of your hat and I can't unsee it now👍😂
Dude I just hiked the Ouachita trail 3/9/23 during a period of unusually high rainfall and we kept hearing that the next crossing was not passable. We took our time and let the water go down a bit and kept on smashing. Glad we did. Fear mongers must quit that negativity
I find it causes trouble. A group, on my hike, made up stories about a guy called icabob. The stories had everyone treating the guy rude. It caused him to act up. Eventually, the authoritarians talked with him. He was just fine. Thinking back, the group was a bunch weirdos. I think they were paid agitators, create a low level mind set. Using fear to bring out lizard brain thinking. They basically bullied the guy. I pushed way ahead to avoid the tattle tales. They did the same thing to Ward Leonard a AT record holder. A bunch of jealous kooks.
I think it's part looking out for others, and part hyping up themselves. It's a lot cooler for some people to say "Oh yeah, I walked through this dangerous area" than saying "Yeah I walked through this nice area and saw some flowers".
I have heard that if you say "Dan Becker" 5 times into a mirror, it adds 5 pounds to your base weight.
😂
I’ve heard you grow a camp chair.
😂😂😂
2spooky
My tent floor turned into Swiss cheese
If I had a dollar for everyone who told me how dangerous backpacking is especially solo, especially because I’m female and especially because I’m old, I’d be very rich. On another note, once in Oregon in massive mosquito season I could not find a cut off trail to a lake I wanted to camp at. Got lots of useless and very wrong directions from other hikers. Bought a Garmin.
I had this problem as a solo female as well. Very annoying. I had several people prior to starting try to convince me to bring a gun. I did narrowly miss the McKinney fire and that was a legit issue. It was raining ash like crazy on me.
I'd say there's a fine line between fearmongering and just giving people a head's up about something. Unfortunately, a lot of people panic even then when they're just getting factual information about a situation, and it's hard to control what they do in response. You just have to worry about yourself and know your own comfort zone.
this is true!
Anxiety disorder is accepted today as a personality trait and not so much as a mental illness
It’s totally cool nowadays for one with major anxiety to freak the fuck out and let that part of themselves speak for who and what they are and they virtually every single god damn time let that fucker steer the wheel as they cruise the road of life
These are the ones who immediately jump into panic mode and make rash decisions when a perfectly mentally healthy passerby just happens to mention that there’s a puddle on the trail coming up in about 400ft….
These again are the same people who do the intense gossip and massive fear mongering you’re referring to as well - walking around in panic mode spreading nothing but falacies and embellishments about something that is unlikely to affect anybody that’s on the trail…
It’s laughable and silly - leave the anxiety at home for work and bills and raising kids and dealing with the daily grind of life; taking it to the woods is just plain childish and unnecessary…..
A lot of people also make content now and jazz sh*t up to get a following for a profit which often plays on people's emotions. I'd hate to fear the woods. Can't look forward to them enough honestly .
@@dmcdevitt8 yes, everything is EPIC! and DANGEROUS!
More people should be afraid of hiking. Stay home…be afraid….
this goes both ways, i was in my backyard {desolation wilderness} in early spring, i came across a pct hiker group on top of dicks pass. this group walked straight out on to the cornice peaked over the edge and proceeded to talk about leaving the trail and sliding down the snowfield. i mentioned how it was unsafe to chill on the lip of the cornice. they just looked at me dismissive and continued chatting, my point is the truth is somewhere in the middle. there is such a thing as too adventurous as well as too cautious.
Did you watch Julian Sheenan's journey? It looked like their group glissaded down from Dick's Peak.
@@aaalllen i did, and that was the pass not the peak. just laying tracks out to a cornice can weaken it and sets folks on the wrong path, however if the conditions are right. it saves a lot of time. you just need to be aware of the snow conditions at all times, glissading down a frozen chute is really dumb and is asking for trouble.
@@marcsorensen2985 I know from personal experience. Learned a lesson without breaking any bones etc.
I always say, the best cure for adventure seekers is adventure 😂
All the advice in the world can't fix congenital stupidity.
You can only live in de-nial until de-crock drags you under and puts the death roll on your @$$.
I will tell you that having hiked most of the PCT this summer, there are A LOT of very inexperienced people on trail. I met a guy on trail the first day who said he'd never used his water filter before. This was halfway up Morena Butte where he'd already run out of water.
I continued to meet very inexperienced hikers all along the way. I attribute this to the rise in popularity of backpacking due to social media channels (here and IG mostly) making it look easy. And to be honest, it's a lot easier now than it was when I was in my 20s (pre social media) - the reliance on Trail Angels via Facebook by people in their 20s is kind of appalling to me. For rides, places to stay, DOING LAUNDRY... lol.
It's like a bunch of children.
I think this is one factor in why fear mongering might seem like a problem. For someone my age who has been doing this longer than a lot of the younger hikers I met have been alive, I never felt "fear-mongered" because I know what's what. I think the less experience you have, the more you're susceptible to "fear mongering" because you simply don't know any better. There's just so many people who have yet to experience real world, real life, challenges. Their whole existence has been with a smart phone in their hand, and in online forums and on social media platforms. So their understanding of reality is so skewed that when reality rears its ugly head, they panic, spread fear, and believe fearful rumors.
It's kinda sad.
Reminding us what perspective means! Knowledge is power here. It means you can identify the BS and ignore it.
@@LadyGreyAgeingDisGracefully Amen
So more Truman Everts than John Colter. Or maybe not even that, Everts survived 50+ days lost in Yellowstone.
I wish I could give you a thousand likes for this comment!!! 👍👍👍👍👍
Years ago, as a beginner backpacker, I had an older man in his late 60s tell me I could never do the JMT bc it was too hard and too advanced, let alone do it solo. He added that I definitely couldn’t do it solo. This is after finishing passage 1 of the AZT in one day…as a beginner. So I did it! Solo! Had to get off bc of a sinus infection, but I was doing it!
I hiked the JMT in 2015 as my 3rd backpacking trip ever and solo (oh my!). It did not seem all that risky to me. I've read a lot of that fear mongering stuff on Facebook and UA-cam comments since.
It wasn't fear-mongering but I heard from hikers in Idyllwild that a bunch of people got sick from the Warner Springs Community Center spigot, which was supposed to be potable. They were just all having the same issues and trying to figure out what the common element was. Like when two out of six people who ate at the same cookout get sick and only after discussing it do they both realize they ate the potato salad.
Anyway - I also got sick on trail in the days after Warner Springs and I realized it was probably because of the spigot at the community center. I'd been thinking it must have been the sausage from the gas station. Which was awesome. And I was glad to find out that it probably wasn't the sausage.
Oh - and if you're in Warner Springs, I recommend filtering the water from the community center spigot. And I highly recommend the sausages made by local sausage genius Mad Mike, sold at the gas station. LOL
YES to those sausages! I think I had a hot dog but still =)
What kind of filter do I need?
@@janefromtennessee pretty much any filter on the market works on waterborne parasites, germs etc
So true! I was watching IBTAT on the John Freakin’ Muir Podcast the other day and he was talking about that and how when he got to the northern part of the PCT people were telling him he shouldn’t go, it was too dangerous. He said he needed to see it with his own eyes. He wasn’t going to risk his life, he’d turn back if he found it was necessary, but he wasn’t going to take the word of some hikers. He said it was fine. So yeah, I believe it. Thanks for putting this out there.
I was watching him on his PCT hike and it WAS dangerous! Snowstorm conditions, several feet of snow, blinding snow where you don't see the trail on really steep slopes for miles, snowed in tent etc it would have helped to have snowshoes but not for seeing the trail! He was in a 3 man group and they went through it but many times IBTAT said then, how dangerous it is!!! It seems with all those years passed, he does paint it a little too beautiful lol only 2 years have passed since then! You can go watch it back, I don't think I'm exaggerating too much here! 😉(I NEVER would have done this myself, nope)
@@annegallagher4005 oh yes, absolutely! I was just talking about this one area that he specifically spoke of in his interview on the mentioned podcast. I’m not talking about his entire PCT hike. He mentioned fear mongering in that interview, about this specific location, that’s why I commented on it.
@@kristinedgerton700 my bad that I haven't watched the podcast (yet... will do soon) I was talking about the Washington part... Feathers (a girl and she was tough) that hiked with him didn't do the last section, he was bold enough to try it... this is the section I was talking about in my comment! I was clenching my buttcheeks with every upload from this section and me watching his videos.. he and his group of guys were hero's in my eyes!! (I was so glad he made it through safely, it really was super sketchy) But yes fearmongering is sure going around on thru-hike trails, mostly from NOT experienced hikers (some never hiked before) so yeah, the best it to try it out first and decide what to do when something comes up! Thanks for replying!
@@annegallagher4005 oh, no worries! Yeah, I’m not sure of the exact section he was talking about. Yes, Kate (feathers) is badass, so if she didn’t do it it must’ve been super sketchy. I ran into her a few times this past summer around Damascus. Saw she and IBTAT with Little Leaf, and then while she was camping and painting on her tent. I think she’s headed back east now to deliver some paintings. I think you’re right that most of it comes from folks who really don’t hike. Good intentions, like Kyle said. Yeah, I haven’t seen his entire PCT hike, I’ll have to go watch the episodes I missed.
I very much agree with you here. I had a similar situation happen in 2019 when a trail angel in Washington was telling people on FB to "go home" because there was a snowstorm coming to the northern Cascades. I was in Stevens Pass at the time and I'm glad I didn't listen because yeah, hiking in knee-deep snow sucked, but I still finished and hikers finished behind even weeks later. There's a big difference between something being uncomfortable and being dangerous. It pissed me off that someone who wasn't even on trail was giving this advice based on weather reports and not on-the-ground conditions, and without accounting for hikers' experience and risk assessment. The best thing to do in these cases is to check things out for yourself and make your own decisions.
Someone sharing their opinion about potentially dangerous weather pisses you off? The thing about on-the-ground conditions is that they change, and unless you're some type of weather shaman, you have to use weather reports to make informed decisions. I'm glad you were able to safely complete your hike, but I'm sure search and rescue professionals wouldn't be happy with the sentiment you're expressing. Your last sentence reminds me of the adage: "every corpse on Mt Everest was once a highly motivated person."
Fear mongering about wildfires on the PCT can get really bad because it detracts from when wildfires really are an issue. It's hard to get real time info on conditions, but I wasted many hours trying to plan out the last section of trail (Nobo 2021) after there was so much fear mongering about a fire in Mazama. Turns out it was not a big deal. However, some fires like the Dixie Fire were very much a big deal.
Yes, this is a problem. I was volunteering on the section of the PCT on Mt Hood from Timberline Lodge to Lolo Pass road when the Dollar Fire blew up.. The FS came on the radio and asked me to evacuate all hikers immediately through a very short access trail. A few hikers ignored my evacuation directions and got stopped by the county sheriff just before they reached the fire line. Too much fear mongering made them a bit overly adventurous.
True
Just another fine example as to why I am not on FB, never have been, never will be. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.
Lol not a bad idea honestly
Staying off Facebook is the exact opposite of ignorance. Being on it only informs you of the opinions of people that only want to speak their opinions in an echo chamber, and never have their opinions and assumptions challenged; there's not a lot of factual information you can ever learn from that.
There's 2 sides to this. I've seen several people who really didn't belong on the PCT who were out there on their 1st hikes because they watched Wild. I've also been told I'm irresponsible for hiking by myself, hiking without an InReach, hiking off trail, etc. Personally, I try to just state the facts of what I've seen or hiked through with little or no commentary unless asked for my opinion.
I was hiking through Southern VA and I heard that people got sick from drinking from a water tap at the Settler's Museum of Southern Virginia. I never did find out if that was real or not. I stayed there but got water from the schoolhouse. Struck me as unlikely that a developed water source like that would be the source of sickness - maybe hiker's transmitting something via the spigot maybe.
A few miles away there WAS a problem with deer carcasses left by hunters upstream of where the trail crossed. Lots of warning signs out about it. That to me seems more likely to be the source of the illness throughout the area. So sometimes the info is real but like a game of telephone, it gets transformed with each retelling.
I think I’ve figured out the reason for fear mongering. Nobody wants to be alone when quitting, they’re trying to get others to quit with them plus the fear keeps getting bigger to justify them being quitters. I have a dream of the PCT in April ‘25 (retirement) . Serious injury or death is what it’s gonna take to get me to quit. No cheating either.
Bingo.
I remember I was 10yrs old in the late 70’s, there were rumors about a van full of clowns driving around kidnapping kids. Scared the crap out of me! Damn fear mongering!
I had a salesjerk at the NOC tell me that I needed BOOTS to hike the AT when I stopped in to buy a new pair of trail runners last spring. I had 200 miles on the worn-out shoes BEFORE I hit the trail at AFSP. I have been distance hiking in trail runners since the turn of the century. I was 68 years old at the time and carry a light pack (which the salesperson never saw or questioned me about). I also worked for REI in the mid 1980s.
Lesson for salesjerk salespeople:
Qualify your customer by asking questions before giving ignorant advice.
Oh, yeah, this salesman wasn't exactly a kid, either. Maybe he just had wimpy old man ankle muscles.
I was in the middle of a 275 mile section hike. I completed the 2,000 plus mile AT hike last month.
I'm planning a thruhike next year. 😉
I will be turning 70 in July
That's crazy dude, those same stories about the waterborne illness north of Tehachapi was spreading around last year too! Never any first hand accounts, but people were saying a whole trail family got sick and someone had to be heli evaced out of there. Last year I met one guy in Stehekin who got so caught up in the fear spreading about a cold front (fear mongered into a snow storm) incoming that week, and he quit his hike then and there. Blows my mind. The spread of information on trail can be super helpful, but often times it's so embellished and hyperbolized that it's usefulness is shot and straight up harmful.
Damn that's crazy.
I heard several people got sick from not subscribing to this channel.
Got that right
I learned what’s best is just to describe the conditions on trail… like the river is 60ft wide, 2 feet deep, maybe 35° and moving maybe 15mph. That way you can decide if that’s going to be a problem for you or not.
Be careful, be realistic about your abilities, and maintain situational awareness at all times. Have an evacuation plan if things DO go bad.
That said - "Cowards die many times before their deaths. The valiant never taste of death but once." I read this in Cinnabar, the One O'Clock Fox as a kid, and it's good advice.
That quote is secretly from Shakespeare. (:
Just ran into this on a thru hike last week. We were told water sources were ‘bone dry’ for over 13 miles. We stocked up on lbs of water that we got out of a sketchy mud puddle. There were actually plenty of good water sources every mile or so. The rest of the hike we laughed everytime we saw a ‘bone dry’ stream. It sucked because we drank sketchy water and carried a lot of water over mountains because of fear mongering.
I had something similar while in Yosemite in 2020. I asked two groups of hikers headed the other way if they had seen water between where i met them and a lake about 7 (then 6.5) miles away and was told no. Guess what, there was a creek about 100 feet parallel to the trail 4 miles away. How can people be that stupid.
Problem is people have different contexts. Many times I have been told water wasn't available by well meaning hikers only to find a great water source. One time it was some town kids. To them, there was just a puddle. To me, it was actually a spring with nice water (to be filtered, of course.)
I heard there’s an aggressive bear up ahead on the trail, might wanna watch out. Maybe just get a ride to Maine.
I get agitated with those videos about horror stories on the AT, not as much about the stories, but more about the comment sections. People would say things like “anyone that solo hikes without a firearm is an idiot”. It would be somewhat comical but the people that feed into those comments may deter other people from even going out on the trails.
I've gotten that comment on my videos more times than I'd like to admit haha
THANK YOU! this was such a problem this year! I don't know if it always is.
I was there during this time. I remember hearing of TWO people that got sick. I think one of these reports came from a friend of the person that got sick if I recall correctly. They weren't even sure it was the water or what water it was. That also doesn't mean it was an algae bloom. It was blown out of proportion. I did end up skipping a small part of that section, including where this potential source supposedly was, but for reasons completely unrelated. I wasn't worried about the water at all.
But, there were a couple people in my bubble that liked to just not filter water. They figured the risk of getting sick was low and they didn't feel like carrying a filter. I think that's a pretty unsafe attitude and they are probably the ones to get sick, tbh. So. Yeah. Dumb people.
Now there WAS an outbreak of COVID in my bubble in early June. I got it, a bunch of other people got it coming out of Kennedy Meadows South. That was a legit issue that people WEREN'T taking seriously and as a healthcare worker, it pissed me off. One of my friends literally was coughing up gobs of blood in the passes. A few of us got altitude sickness as a consequence of having COVID at elevation and had to come down. I had to skip most of the Sierras because every time I went up I was having too much difficulty breathing. That was a huge blow to my morale. I'm going to go back next year to do it.
I was 2 weeks behind you from my start in South KM in early July; and pretty much stayed that way until you started jumping North due to trail closures. Concerns about the McKinney fire closure, N CA heat, and the 100 mile Dixie fire burn scar ended up scaring all but a small percentage of us to flip North to WA. My experience as a SOBO PCT hiker in 2021 made me suspect the rumors to be fear mongering; and expressed this to the various other hikers. Most still flipped North by Chester. When I arrived at the McKinney fire area, the PCT had reopened all but 50 miles near Seiad Valley and had I taken a couple extra zeros, that section would have opened as well. The Dixie burn scar was not much different than the burn scars elsewhere on the trail (most of Oregon is pretty much a burn scar these days) and the N CA heat while warm was manageable with proper hydration and electrolyte consumption. Most of those that I was traveling ended up just running into more obstacles as their jumps North didn't help them avoid the various fires/closures in the trail and essentially caused discouragement to where they didn't bother to return and finish those sections of trail that would have been easy to complete had they stayed and not let rumors discourage them.
I was there for the McKinney fire when it was at it's worst. It was bad. You should never encourage people to underestimate fire closures or treat fire nonchalantly. Besides the fire itself, the air quality was terrible. Of course hiking in smoke and ash is more a matter of comfort and preference so a simple and accurate report of that is all that's necessary. But at the time I was there the fire was spreading fast and a lot of people had to be evacuated.
It is also generally ill-advised to camp in burn areas as the trees are at high risk of falling or dropping large branches. I witnessed this myself more than once. One of my hiking partners has also encountered the scene of a death from falling trees. Soon after burns there can remain pockets of smouldering material under the dirt that can reignite as well. I don't think that is super common but these are the realities of burn areas and should be made known. Education is what's important, not scaring people away.
The thing about fires is, maybe the risks are unlikely but the severity of possible injuries can be bad. So if it's open, then let people make up their own minds. Scaring people off is unnecessary.
As a Pennsylvanian I always am humored by the talk about all of our rocks! LOL! The only obstacle in Pennsylvania that truly seems to be an annoyance is that damn beaver pond/damn. Have a good week!
Ya we don’t even have real mountains here just hills lol, it’s funny seeing people with poles like they are in the Arctic mountains or the alps, I’ve climbed up steep snowy mountains with no poles, poles are for posers man haha
Each hike I've done it's always paid off to go see it for myself, as I can always turn back. No growth if not challenged.
We hiked the PCT last year, about the same time as you and heard all the fear mongering about the illnesses and potentially contaminated water. However, in the 750 miles we ended up hiking, from Campo to the Sierra, we filtered all of the water we drank - from spigots, restrooms, refillable water bottles at caches, streams - basically if it wasn't coming from a sealed water bottle, we filtered. Never got sick - a little extra time and effort and we got some looks when we filtered at some caches, but the peace of mind (and not getting sick) was worth it.
Fear mongering happens even on regular day hike trails. Someone told my sister there was a rattlesnake blocking the trails so they decided to turn back. I asked why she would do that. It's a desert trail, there is usually a way around and asked what she would've done if there was no other choice but to keep on. The person that started it planted the seed and my sister watered it. I would have kept going. Some people are drama queens. They thrive on it and like to perpetuate it. It makes them feel important.
Even local news does fear mongering. We went to Asia to hike the highest mountain in the Philippines. When we got there, local news channels were saying there's a level 3 storm and the possibility of trails getting flooded and then there's danger to life. Because our return flight is nearing, we couldn't afford to delay the hike. We pushed through and guess what, it was all wind and some drizzle. Yes there were trees falling and some smaller branches flying around but we didn't get the flood everyone was telling about. We managed to find safe camping sites for the next few nights and we were able to complete the hike despite the wind. News companies will do everything to scare people.
I actually had a great time in Duncannon lmao. Had to take a zero to wait for my buddy’s shoes, had some fun at the Doyle and that breakfast diner had unbeatable prices!
Don't get me wrong, I had a blast in duncannon! Just kind of a depressing part of the country tbh
"Fear mongering" is rampant on the AT regarding,,,, nearly everything. "XYZ hostel was mean to me!" causing other hikers to avoid and spread "The news" when if you really found out the true story, that hiker / group came in DEMANDING things not available & etc. they were actually the problem & staff got tired of them. I often tell new hikers: "EVERY; root rock & bump in the trail will have someone who thinks it is wonderful, and someone who will HATE it with absolute certainty that it was out to get them!! Yeah, it needs to STOP!
Every.Single.Trail. I had some Sobo on the NPT tell me I have no idea how hard the trail is going to be for me the next day; even though I'd already hiked the NPT three times before. Same on the Long Trail. Yeah buddy i know the northern half is a little more rugged, but it's not like going from an Iowa cornfield to the Sierra. Chill out.
Chill hikers chill
Wait until you see some vicious Drop Bears or the endangered Tree Octopus! The fear is real!
Ticks and snakes and weasels ripped my flesh while I slept.
And don't forget the deadly snapes!
You are so right! I absolutely ran into this on the PCT this last August. I section hiked Wa K. The infamous "blow down section" was no where near what it was reported to be. The Kennedy Creek crossing was not horrific (when we crossed) either. The reports for both gave me some serious nerves before- hand but ended up being so overinflated.
I accidentally drank water from Robinbird spring without treatment and surprisingly I did not get sick from it. I collected the water from the cistern up on the hill. Good memories I'll never forget there was a bear 🐻 there, fun times.
BTW, this is a new thing in America because it wasn't on the trail in 1990 or 2002.
Same in the Sierras I was very annoyed after Muir pass I was letting some other hikers know in the hut I was was over people telling me how hard every pass was before I got to it. I remember always being nervous about every pass and waiting for the “hard” section. Finally after Muir pass I had enough of people talking to me as I never experienced any of the problems or difficulties these other people had. I actually said I’m over the fear mongering around here and walked off. Ha
Hey Kyle, unfortunately fear mongering is super prevalent on trail and through social media. My top 5 most popular videos can be considered “fear mongering”. They just blew up when my other happy videos stay stagnant.. the people love a good scary story. 😕
human nature!
The media, and social media is definitely part of this, have long since figured out the two easiest ways to get people's attention are to appeal to their fear, and/or their anger. For whatever reason people like to pay attention to stories that make them afraid or angry.
I remember the 2018 rains. I did a 50k in jim thorpe where much of the trail was literally underwater. Still did it. You can only get so wet.
Agree. that was happened on PCT in 2019, most of North-bound hikers skipped Sierra and flipped to north before seeing Sierra snow. Once hikers started to flip. They would hesitate to flip again and again. End of Most of people flipped 2, 3 times. There were messy all over trail in the rest of 2019 hiking year. Someone called those flippers were PCT flip hikers.
Reminds me of when they told people not to float the green river, in wa, after a small rain storm rolled threw in late spring. We went and assessed the river temp and flow of the river, and it was not anything like they were hyping it up to be, so we hopped in and floated it on inner tubes. Most fun i have ever had floating that river, and funny part was the news had came by with a helicopter to show just how bad the river is, to then have us ruin their shot as we came floating by smiling and waiving at the helicopter in their live news report.
While staying in a hut on the Alta Via 2, there was one hiker who was telling people that the next section was very sketchy, that its for experienced mountaineers only, you can't go without carabiners and a harness, etc etc etc. Convinced a few in this remote hut to take an alternate route down into the valley to a nearby village. My party and I were looking at the guidebook and while they said it was challenging, it wasn't impossible. We were right, scaredy cat was wrong. That guy irked me to no end.
Whenever I see a reroute due to a bridge being out I stay on trail. I’m either going to turn around after assessing conditions, finding an alternate adventurous way to cross, or cross on the sketchy-ass bridge that’s still sort of standing.
It didn't take me long to quit listening to advice or opinions of other hikers on my thru hike. Related I really wish Guthooks would identify comments NOBO vs. SOBO - the opinions of the different groups is such a different perspective.
Haha true!
First, this is also true on the CDT (Cougar Bait, attempt in `21). Second, I also agree that the worst examples of fear mongering was in the Facebook group(s). You are right that most people seemed to have good intentions and (most of the time) whatever was being talked about was something to be aware of. However, it was the tone of the comments/discussions that turned to fear mongering. So maybe a couple of rules here.
1. Don't add to the discussion unless you have first-hand experience or direct factual knowledge.
2. Keep to the facts. Something like "several miles of extensive blow downs" instead of "blowdowns seriously messed with my mind and I should have died".
I learned to assume that whatever was being mongered(?) was less bad than being discussed.
What also needs to stop is when an obviously inexperienced hiker asks a question like is it safe to cross a 30 degree snowfield with 6 feet of fresh snow on it and an experienced mountaineer tells why it is unsafe and how to mitigate the danger and the mountaineer immediately gets shouted down as a fearmonger and don't listen to the fearmonger.
I just stumbled on a channel recently that appears to be entirely dedicated to scaring people away from going in the woods. There are probably many more out there, irs ridiculous.
Plot twist, It's my channel
Kyle, if you run into any thru hikers that completed the trail in 2003, give them props dude. They are Gods! I hiked in 2002 and it was a dry year. 2003 out of the normal 180-day hiking season, roughly March 15th to September 15th, it rained 129 days.
Been thinking about doing sectional AT, but bears phobia keptp me from it
If it's a high snow year for the Sierra Nevada, maybe take that into consideration if you're 5'6" or shorter. 2017 lost 2 PCT'ers on water crossings.
there is a fine line between fear mongering, and just sharing information that could be useful to hikers. I meant to say that in the video but forgot
meanwhile hiking in the balkans be like: no proper weather predictions, slidy af, barren trail signage, and goat farmers defying the laws of gravity 80 years old deep squatting on an unstable mound of rocks lmao
So, my impression is that the majority of the people doing a thru hike actually are doing their first thru hike(including me) and often have very little experience backpacking(I had a fair amount of experience, but still a beginner). So yeah they may not be able to give the best advice. They are also probably not from the area.
I would say while I had some bad weather overall it was pretty good.h
Maybe the hikers got some kind of food poisoning or maybe they didn't filter their drinking water.
😂👍 great show it was like hidden images inside of cartoons you never thought was there... Some of the chosen words surprised me that it passed UA-cam guidelines... But yeah they really should like have information that's accurate coming through like trail runners or something so people don't worry and can actually be informed of what's going on... Im one of those people who is introverted and would probably never hear 🙉 anything anyways cause people make me nervous to talk too... They either like me or hate me so I try to travel with a talkative friend so they can find things out... I would probably not know where to look up important information too... I grew up my dad would just take us out in the woods and get us lost and then we would find a road and call mom to pick us up... It was fun beautiful sites on are adventures... We found a underground river once crossing around a ridge the ground was open you could see water coming out one area and it going back underground on the outside... That was a good day... Stay safe and have fun...
So I watched 6 different hikers this year on the PCT (yes you and your crew are one of them) and 3 got sick, (around the Hikervillage section) because they got the C-beerbug, one person had to give fully up because they felt really really bad even after 3 weeks of having the C-beerbug (and taking one week off because of high fever), they felt having no energy at all in the heat, really weak and nauseated and had to postpone their hike for another year. (this person was really, deeply heartbroken) The 2 others went on after couple of zero's... that's the info I have, never heard about that someone mentioned a drinking water problem, I would remember that! Thanks for calling out the fearmongrer!!!
What is the C-beerbug?
@@deborahlozano7134 First it was called Corona Virus and Corona is a Mexican Beer, then it changed to Covid 😉
@@annegallagher4005 Good morning:) I did think Covid. The beer through me off. Thought people were suffering bad hangovers:)) Thanks.
@@deborahlozano7134 Good Morning... just didn't wanted to use trigger words on YT lol I think where I live in Europe the word Beerbug, everyone knows what it means... this is why I included the letter C to hopefully make it more obvious for non Europeans (maybe it was a little too much?) Anyway, wishing you a splendid day! 😊
I did the JMT SB in 2019, legit high snow year. We got fearmongered off trail (plus being miserable) at kearsarge pass. We were told that since we were going the opposite direction as PCT hikers, some of the passes would be impassable. I wish I’d kept going but am glad I came back 3 months later and finished more pleasantly.
I did the JMT in 2018. Supposed to be a super smoky year with a bunch of fires and I wouldn't see any of the view. I got denied 36 times to go south so I was going north. The trail was empty and I saw all the views. I could have gotten a walk up permit for northbound. I was kind of pissed because people took all the permits and none of them went but I was denied 36 times....
Truth is very important there's things to be concerned about and things you shouldn't.
Truth
If you think its bad on thru hiking. Its worse on winter touring and backcountry skiing.
The highlight of this video was imagining you getting hammered in Duncannon. What a town.
But seriously, the fearmongering I experienced during my AT thru really hampered some of the people in my trail family. I actually had to talk one of them down out of an anxiety attack over something that, in hindsight, wasn't actually a big deal.
damn that's so sad!
I remember peacefully hiking in Georgia getting my ass kicked by the hilly terrain and roots that I wasn’t used to, a handful of hikers from The northern states said just wait till you reach The whites
Let’s just say I was afraid of the whites until I finished w them
The water rumours really bugged me because everyone was so worried about getting sick from these water sources, but then you hit KMS, that didn’t have soap in the bathroom. Maybe people were getting sick from cramming 6 people in a hotel room in Tehachapi or not washing your hands at KMS ya jabronis!
facts
The fear mongering is unreal but it just isn't with the long distant trails like the AT or the PCT. You see it everywhere even on short trails like the Art Loeb Trail which you have done. If you listen to them the only way that you will make it through the Shinning Rock Wilderness portion of the trail is to have a paper map and compass because it isn't very well marked. They will make it sound like there is some vortex or something and any electronic guide like the MST Guide, Gaia, etc will just fail you or completely not work and you will be on the side of a cliff or something. I have thru hike the trail with only the MST guide on my phone. I have hiked in the the Shinning Rock Wilderness before without a compass and map. I am not sure what these people are talking about because I never got lost or stuck on the side of a cliff and found the trail pretty easy to follow. It may not be marked as well as the AT but it is marked well enough to get around it especially if you are not brand new to hiking. That is just one example and trail.
Ironically enough, 2018 did have absurd rainfall in PA
Hike your own hike! Don't worry about what other people do
Psssst
It's even worse when you're a woman 😑
"You alone out here??!" 🙄
@@MrJedi5150 thank, I appreciate that. It's insulting, it's fairly constant with some people, and it drives me nuts.
Why are you fear mongering about the dangers of fear mongering? Now I'm deathly afraid of people who fear monger, and have decided to stop hiking and camping. Instead, I will stay at home and watch Netflix and UA-cam videos. Much safer!
sounds good lol
All of these "ultra lights" that are actually gear-hoarding packadillos make me sick. I carry a terry cloth in a non-zip sandwich bag, that's it... And the bag is pushing it.
It boils down to our egos. We believe we have special information that no one else has. There is thusly an "inbalance" when dealing with another person. "I" am more/know more/ know more than "you". Once you pass along the information, your "superiority" is on full display. I do it. You do it. Everyone does it, mostly subconsciously. And then there's the "pissing contest" players out there...but that's a whole other video for yoy.
I was happy I was already in that section when FarOut comments went ballistic. I didn’t have to go through the debate of should or shouldn’t we skip. What set it off in the first place was the pcta commenting on the farout app. People took that seriously. I’m certain that Tehachapi is just a petri dish where hikers pile 10 people into the hotel rooms. I didn’t get sick and I avoided the crowds and touching the registries until mile 700!
Fear mongering is a problem in general with society.
Yup
T-Town! My fmr stomping grounds 🤩 The same discussion happened in 2020 season. Again, no proof what so ever. On the fb groups, there are a lot of armchair hikers chiming in when they aren't even ot. Hikers probably had a better chance of getting stalked by a mountain lion through there than poisoned by algae. Did you guys zero there? Hope ya had fun! 🐻
We did zero!
Fear mongers abound on trail and on Facebook. Two years ago when I did the JMT folks were canceling their hikes based on inaccurate reports about fires and “potential” spreading which where completely inaccurate. It’s all about the fear these days.
Too much fear lol
Beware of the Yeti… 👀
I didn't realize there were people who FLIPFLOPPED because of that flooded beaver bog in 2018 lol🤦🏻♀️ Totally agree with all of this.
As a "geriatric millennial," our stereotype of younger people is they're very fragile and have been shielded from hardship and failure.
Also I was once a source for a news article at work. The journalists seem like liberal arts majors trying to write a paper on a subject they know little about and they're on a tight schedule. Journalism isn't what it used to be.
Fear mongering. The news does it every day. And everybody falls for it. Almost everybody. Great video!
Is your video editor available now that you're off trail?
No he ded
@@KyleHatesHiking 😂oh well. You got what you needed out of him. Haha
Bro, take a nyc subway ride in the 70s/80s .. now that's fearful.... all this current bullshit about crime is total fear bs.... the only thing I fear is mice in the shelters .. those little MOFOs scare the living shit out of me.
There's nothing having anything to do with crime in this entire video. R u ok?
@@helpfulcommenter fear was mentioned ... fear is fear
@@frolege1 Sorry but you should study crime statistics before you make a comment like this. Crime is on the rise in most cities in California at least. From property crime to violent crime. Which happens in cities. Which is not the PCT.
So I guess I'd just say your comment seems super irrelevant.
I grew up in N.Y. in the 70's. trains weren't that bad. Its all in perspective as your comment is fear mongering. Nothing every happened to me on train was perfectly safe on my own at 10
@@helpfulcommenter crime may be up over the past year but dramatically lower year over year the past 40 years.
Just wondering .. do you take water with you? Or purify it along the way?
I like what you said about PA it's not all bad and even the part that is. Is part of the challenge sounds like you may the smart distinction at Duncan
On the PCT i'd say std's, not showering, and drugs is a bigger problem 😂
yaaas dude. No condoms for me!!
Anytime you have a bunch of people who have signed up for an 'adventure' above their experience level, you get exaggerated stories. It could be a moderately experienced mountaineer who's having their first glacier experience or a family's first safari, people *need* to have a unique experience so badly (even if it's something thousands of people are doing every day) that they will hype up risks and dangers. We didn't just see a lion, we saw a lion that may have been the one that was rumored to have attacked a woman in a village a few months ago!
Get a group of novices together and it gets much worse. That group who flipped? Sure it cost them a lot of money, but it's totally worth it to them because now they have a story of narrowly avoiding CERTAIN DEATH on the AT and needed to make the difficult choice to swallow their pride and change their plan (such wisdom!).
Risk calculations that are at or above your experience level are always a bit dramatic, so it's really important to look for the people with first-hand experience who are operating BELOW their experience level. A group of experienced climbers coming down the mountain and saying "I dunno, after the heavy rain the exposed section of the trail is pretty sketch" has a lot more weight than a 22 year old on their first thru hike saying "That part of the trail with the drop-off was the SCARIEST TRAIL OF MY LIFE! I'd never do it if it was WET!"
Good show Kyle Most times these sicknesses are due to their on personal hygiene
“Hey Kyle…” (said in Cartman’s voice) I wish you’d make more clickbait-y thumbnails. That is all.
That same rumor spread at the same section of the PCT last year. So either they’re just recycling rumors year to year or there’s some perennial toxic water source that we need to identify.
What is being described here is just how rumors and info spreads by word of mouth, details, especially challenges or hardships, become exaggerated in the telling. It’s a quite normal and predictable part of human communication. Fear-mongering is intentionally stoking fear to manipulate people.
Really bad droughts in NY the year I was on the AT
Less fear mongering, more fish mongering.
This happens a ton even with day hikes. It’s really frustrating
I saw I lot of that with the flu in the last 3 years
Chinese have this proverb that fits your zero / flood story: "The ox is slow, but the earth is patient."
wise
What we’ve learned over the years, is you have to remain calm. Hear what’s being said, check it out, but be prepared just in case. More times than not, everything’s fine.
Kyle with the one hitter he forgot was tuck on his ear given us the PCT 🐸🍵 w/ receipts, is the content I didn't know I needed.
What?
@@KyleHatesHiking It looks like you got a one hitter or a blunt tucked on your left ear until about 3/4 way through video only to find it's just part of your hat and I can't unsee it now👍😂
That kind of shit doesn’t happen down here in Australia. At least I’ve never come across it.
Dude I just hiked the Ouachita trail 3/9/23 during a period of unusually high rainfall and we kept hearing that the next crossing was not passable. We took our time and let the water go down a bit and kept on smashing. Glad we did. Fear mongers must quit that negativity
they tried to blame the deaths of family in sierra nevada on toxic algae last year and yet the temperature in the area were 105+ with no shade
100% - Thanks for putting this out
What does it mean that I'm now afraid of the fear mongering?
.. oh shit oops
I find it causes trouble. A group, on my hike, made up stories about a guy called icabob. The stories had everyone treating the guy rude. It caused him to act up. Eventually, the authoritarians talked with him. He was just fine. Thinking back, the group was a bunch weirdos. I think they were paid agitators, create a low level mind set. Using fear to bring out lizard brain thinking. They basically bullied the guy. I pushed way ahead to avoid the tattle tales.
They did the same thing to Ward Leonard a AT record holder. A bunch of jealous kooks.
I think it's part looking out for others, and part hyping up themselves. It's a lot cooler for some people to say "Oh yeah, I walked through this dangerous area" than saying "Yeah I walked through this nice area and saw some flowers".
Yea people are out of control... Remember "hammer guy" on the AT last year? Dude didn't bother anyone but the entire trail was up in arms for days@