Erik, I have hiked and stayed at Mt. LeConte a dozen or so times many years ago. It was not so crowded then. I hoped to return someday, but, as I feared, it is way too crowded now. I feel, as you do, that unique places like this deserve more respect and reverence.
Yeah, and I want people to feel that. It just seems to me that the ease of access, conveniences, and safety measures, while helping people have access to it are also contributing to the lack of respect people have for it.
I agree with my whole heart about the urban and suburban sprawl. I watch it here in real time and it angers me. Farmers being bought out so that suburban condo projects can full empty space 😞
On the bright side, we have your photos and stories. That one pic midway through of the pathway through a canopy of trees...looks almost like a tunnel I'd like to enter and never come out of 😊
My morning walks smell of diesel fuel. I live on the edge of the city and only a few blocks away, the land is full of heavy machinery developing an entire new community in what used to be a farmer's field 😠
Same here! I used to be in a small town where 5 minutes in every direction was farmland or forest. Now its all shopping centers, apartments, and industrial buildings.
Erik, Your photos are so beautiful and I could feel your frustration so deeply as I read your post.
I drove up the coast of Maine with my daughter and her sweetheart for peak leaf peeping weekend on Indigenous Day a few weeks ago. We had planned for the White Mountains, but something told me it would be too crowded. Sadly coastal Maine was also overcrowded and the following day we read quite a few horror stories of overcrowded trails and traffic in the White Mountains. I see this frequently at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge as well, which is just a few miles from me. I've spent my life seeking quite there and now avoid more than I ever have in the past because of too many people.
Thank you for enduring and capturing so many beautiful images to share with us!
Thank you so much Pamela! The area was truly spectacular to see. I’m starting to wish just that these places were much harder to get to. I think if people had to really work for it, they’d be much more appreciative of it.
It boggles my mind that people don’t appreciate and respect these beautiful places. I see it down at the refuge, people speeding on the road, walking off trail. A different set of ideals I think. I hope as always that people will wake up.
"A circus inside a cathedral" is perfect! I feel the same about the crowds - conflicted. Happy that people are out, but no so happy about the disrespect and garbage left behind. Just this summer a local brown bear ended up getting shot in the face and wounded by photographers who apparently hid from it as it approached to get a close up photo of it, they spooked it, it got shot. I wasn't there so I don't know the specifics. Four black bears (that I know of) had to be shot by park rangers because sloppy campers habituated them to humans. And I watched a large group of people do one of those gender reveals, popping confetti, and basically filled a stream full of gill breathing salmon with tissue paper. I was livid. I avoid people as best I can now and those crowds you described would have driven me nuts!
I have dreamed of making the hike to LeConte but I am worried now it will be too crowded. I love being able to quietly take my photos at the pace I want. Your shots are gorgeous though.
I am glad that I went, because I’ve never been there before and LeConte is gorgeous! I don’t enjoy being around a lot of people, but the only time they really could have gotten in the way of my photography was at sunset when 30 people suddenly arrived. If I hadn’t been there early it would have been very problematic!
Beautiful photos! I understand your frustration, but as you say, you are one of those people too. I think reminding yourself of that will help you see yourself as part of humanity and not separate from it. Other people ALSO appreciate the beauty of nature but maybe have different ideas of how it is to be enjoyed. It is hard not to judge, but perhaps they have not been schooled in the etiquette of the wilderness. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Thank you Dawn! I think you hit the nail on the head! It goes contrary to my inclinations, but it's important to realize that we are all part of the community of mankind. I think they just need to see a better, more impactful way.
Erik, great story and beautiful photos. We don't get Fall colours like you do - I can see why the crowds come to see the spectacle. I particularly liked your first full image with the cascade - lovely.
We have some areas with a lot of introduced deciduous trees that can get crowded at peak colour - but they are not in our natural bush. Apart from a few popular walks, I usually see very few people out on trail :)
In the Eastern US there are about 3-4 weeks in autumn when the color is amazing. I look forward to it every year! And there are definitely less populated areas. This one is a favorite because it is easy to access.
Just got back from a short hike on the Trans Catalina Trail, and believe me, I saw my share of...."folks..." this weekend....as I read through your essay, every time you said "I am one of them," my head chimed, "no you're not!" Because you treat the land with reverence and respect...kind of like how you said people watched the sunrise and spoke with voices lowered. (You'd think being quiet for other people to enjoy a peaceful moment is common courtesy, but I guess not.)
I too, am conflicted. I think it's great that people enjoy the outdoors....but maybe please do so with the intent to ENJOY THE OUTDOORS, for all it is, not for how cute it will make you look on Instagram. That said, you and I both take photos of ourselves on our adventures, but at least I try to do it tastefully....like a photo here or there. Not constantly.
Also, I think the second people are loud and obnoxious ("FUCK THIS MOUNTAIN!") then they aren't treating the land with any sort of reverence...or even a challenge...it's just...annoying.
Haha! I'm glad you picked up on this! I wrote that "I am one of them" to deliberately add a sense of confliction, though I did have to switch it up one time. The entire time I was feeling like I was NOT one of them, yet the objective facts were that I drove there just like they did, at the peak leaf color days just like they did, to hike the same trail they were on, and take pictures just like they were. I want to think my approach is more respectful, reverent, or whatever, but I was DOING almost the exact same things.
I'm trying to nudge myself in the direction of seeing other people as part of the larger brother/sisterhood of mankind. For me, its tough. With that in mind, I'm thinking 2 things. First, they act this way out of ignorance. If they only knew the power, the truths, and the benefits of a connection with the land that can be had by a respectful experience in nature, then they would do that. Maybe its up to me to try to show them? Second, I would welcome all visitors to places like this... if it were MUCH harder to get there. In my ideal world where the internal combustion engine did not exist, I would still find a way to get there to see the autumn leaves. Anyone else who did would be my kind of people. The ones who felt 'meh' about it or want to see it just because its cool or easy wouldn't come.
I mean yes, those are all objective facts that you and them shared. And at the same time, trying to black-and-white-thinking yourself into "I'm just like them because I took these same actions " is a hard one for me to swallow still. Just because two groups of people took the same actions doesn't mean they can be necessarily lumped together because they may have had different motives and/or attitudes toward it. Just my thoughts!! I do respect you trying to give them the benefit of the doubt. Part of why I'm extra cranky about it is I see this obnoxious behavior a lot in folks who are in my agre range - the younger generation - and it hacks me right off that we are acting as representatives of this younger generation ....and these representatives are acting like jerks!
Regarding your comment about hard to access places...I agree with that too. I also think that by nature, if someone is willing to go somewhere hard to get or a place that requires great effort to reach, they will tend to be a little more respectful of the land. I still adore an Adirondacks High Peaks trip I took a few years ago. Barely anyone was out there. The area is a remote drive, and the hike we chose was tough.
By contrast, there are so many beautiful places that are within easy reach and are of course, crowded with folks..
Those are great points Niki. I tend to be very self critical. Maybe the motivation behind actions leads to doing technically the same thing, but in a better way.
Nice shot Erik
Thank you!
Erik, I have hiked and stayed at Mt. LeConte a dozen or so times many years ago. It was not so crowded then. I hoped to return someday, but, as I feared, it is way too crowded now. I feel, as you do, that unique places like this deserve more respect and reverence.
Yeah, and I want people to feel that. It just seems to me that the ease of access, conveniences, and safety measures, while helping people have access to it are also contributing to the lack of respect people have for it.
Yes, I agree! It looks like the water levels in the streams/creeks were low.
It did seem that way. I live 3 hours south of the Smokies, but we haven't had a drop of rain since September!
Very dry here in Nashville too!
I agree with my whole heart about the urban and suburban sprawl. I watch it here in real time and it angers me. Farmers being bought out so that suburban condo projects can full empty space 😞
On the bright side, we have your photos and stories. That one pic midway through of the pathway through a canopy of trees...looks almost like a tunnel I'd like to enter and never come out of 😊
I had several trail photos on this trip that turned out pretty good. Its that warm afternoon light coming through the trees in the distance!
Seeing all the development everywhere leaves me feeling really helpless. I want to pick up and move somewhere remote, but eventually it will catch up.
I feel you 100%
My morning walks smell of diesel fuel. I live on the edge of the city and only a few blocks away, the land is full of heavy machinery developing an entire new community in what used to be a farmer's field 😠
Same here! I used to be in a small town where 5 minutes in every direction was farmland or forest. Now its all shopping centers, apartments, and industrial buildings.
Erik, Your photos are so beautiful and I could feel your frustration so deeply as I read your post.
I drove up the coast of Maine with my daughter and her sweetheart for peak leaf peeping weekend on Indigenous Day a few weeks ago. We had planned for the White Mountains, but something told me it would be too crowded. Sadly coastal Maine was also overcrowded and the following day we read quite a few horror stories of overcrowded trails and traffic in the White Mountains. I see this frequently at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge as well, which is just a few miles from me. I've spent my life seeking quite there and now avoid more than I ever have in the past because of too many people.
Thank you for enduring and capturing so many beautiful images to share with us!
Thank you so much Pamela! The area was truly spectacular to see. I’m starting to wish just that these places were much harder to get to. I think if people had to really work for it, they’d be much more appreciative of it.
It boggles my mind that people don’t appreciate and respect these beautiful places. I see it down at the refuge, people speeding on the road, walking off trail. A different set of ideals I think. I hope as always that people will wake up.
"A circus inside a cathedral" is perfect! I feel the same about the crowds - conflicted. Happy that people are out, but no so happy about the disrespect and garbage left behind. Just this summer a local brown bear ended up getting shot in the face and wounded by photographers who apparently hid from it as it approached to get a close up photo of it, they spooked it, it got shot. I wasn't there so I don't know the specifics. Four black bears (that I know of) had to be shot by park rangers because sloppy campers habituated them to humans. And I watched a large group of people do one of those gender reveals, popping confetti, and basically filled a stream full of gill breathing salmon with tissue paper. I was livid. I avoid people as best I can now and those crowds you described would have driven me nuts!
Great story, great photos!
Ah, those stories make me angry! I hope that in somehow, with our actions or writing or photos, we can show people a better way! Thanks, Sean!
I have dreamed of making the hike to LeConte but I am worried now it will be too crowded. I love being able to quietly take my photos at the pace I want. Your shots are gorgeous though.
I am glad that I went, because I’ve never been there before and LeConte is gorgeous! I don’t enjoy being around a lot of people, but the only time they really could have gotten in the way of my photography was at sunset when 30 people suddenly arrived. If I hadn’t been there early it would have been very problematic!
Beautiful photos! I understand your frustration, but as you say, you are one of those people too. I think reminding yourself of that will help you see yourself as part of humanity and not separate from it. Other people ALSO appreciate the beauty of nature but maybe have different ideas of how it is to be enjoyed. It is hard not to judge, but perhaps they have not been schooled in the etiquette of the wilderness. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Thank you Dawn! I think you hit the nail on the head! It goes contrary to my inclinations, but it's important to realize that we are all part of the community of mankind. I think they just need to see a better, more impactful way.
Beautiful idyll, thank you Erik!
Of course Carol! Thanks for reading!
Erik, great story and beautiful photos. We don't get Fall colours like you do - I can see why the crowds come to see the spectacle. I particularly liked your first full image with the cascade - lovely.
We have some areas with a lot of introduced deciduous trees that can get crowded at peak colour - but they are not in our natural bush. Apart from a few popular walks, I usually see very few people out on trail :)
In the Eastern US there are about 3-4 weeks in autumn when the color is amazing. I look forward to it every year! And there are definitely less populated areas. This one is a favorite because it is easy to access.
Just got back from a short hike on the Trans Catalina Trail, and believe me, I saw my share of...."folks..." this weekend....as I read through your essay, every time you said "I am one of them," my head chimed, "no you're not!" Because you treat the land with reverence and respect...kind of like how you said people watched the sunrise and spoke with voices lowered. (You'd think being quiet for other people to enjoy a peaceful moment is common courtesy, but I guess not.)
I too, am conflicted. I think it's great that people enjoy the outdoors....but maybe please do so with the intent to ENJOY THE OUTDOORS, for all it is, not for how cute it will make you look on Instagram. That said, you and I both take photos of ourselves on our adventures, but at least I try to do it tastefully....like a photo here or there. Not constantly.
Also, I think the second people are loud and obnoxious ("FUCK THIS MOUNTAIN!") then they aren't treating the land with any sort of reverence...or even a challenge...it's just...annoying.
Haha! I'm glad you picked up on this! I wrote that "I am one of them" to deliberately add a sense of confliction, though I did have to switch it up one time. The entire time I was feeling like I was NOT one of them, yet the objective facts were that I drove there just like they did, at the peak leaf color days just like they did, to hike the same trail they were on, and take pictures just like they were. I want to think my approach is more respectful, reverent, or whatever, but I was DOING almost the exact same things.
I'm trying to nudge myself in the direction of seeing other people as part of the larger brother/sisterhood of mankind. For me, its tough. With that in mind, I'm thinking 2 things. First, they act this way out of ignorance. If they only knew the power, the truths, and the benefits of a connection with the land that can be had by a respectful experience in nature, then they would do that. Maybe its up to me to try to show them? Second, I would welcome all visitors to places like this... if it were MUCH harder to get there. In my ideal world where the internal combustion engine did not exist, I would still find a way to get there to see the autumn leaves. Anyone else who did would be my kind of people. The ones who felt 'meh' about it or want to see it just because its cool or easy wouldn't come.
I mean yes, those are all objective facts that you and them shared. And at the same time, trying to black-and-white-thinking yourself into "I'm just like them because I took these same actions " is a hard one for me to swallow still. Just because two groups of people took the same actions doesn't mean they can be necessarily lumped together because they may have had different motives and/or attitudes toward it. Just my thoughts!! I do respect you trying to give them the benefit of the doubt. Part of why I'm extra cranky about it is I see this obnoxious behavior a lot in folks who are in my agre range - the younger generation - and it hacks me right off that we are acting as representatives of this younger generation ....and these representatives are acting like jerks!
Regarding your comment about hard to access places...I agree with that too. I also think that by nature, if someone is willing to go somewhere hard to get or a place that requires great effort to reach, they will tend to be a little more respectful of the land. I still adore an Adirondacks High Peaks trip I took a few years ago. Barely anyone was out there. The area is a remote drive, and the hike we chose was tough.
By contrast, there are so many beautiful places that are within easy reach and are of course, crowded with folks..
Those are great points Niki. I tend to be very self critical. Maybe the motivation behind actions leads to doing technically the same thing, but in a better way.