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Got yelled at for missing a switchback on the Appalachian Trail last month
Some guy from Georgia chewed me out for cutting a switchback near Blood Mountain, and I honestly didn't realize I was doing it until he pointed out how much erosion it causes. Has anyone else had a trail veteran call them out for something that seemed minor but actually mattered a lot?
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juliashah5d ago
I read somewhere that the soil on those Georgia mountains is way thinner than people think, and one missed switchback can start a gully that takes years to heal. Honestly, that guy probably saved you from causing way more damage than you realized, even if it stung to get called out. It's wild how something as simple as walking off the trail can mess up the whole ecosystem for everyone else who hikes there. Did you end up going back and looking at the erosion he was talking about?
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scott.drew4d ago
Oh yeah, nothing says "fun day outdoors" like getting scolded by the local trail police. I did peek at the erosion later and it looked like a tiny scratch on the earth, but I guess that scratch could turn into the Grand Canyon if you let enough clueless hikers go rogue. Ever accidentally commit an eco-crime you didn't even know was illegal?
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