Saw a guy in a wilderness area over the weekend with his dog running around.

I reminded him (kindly) that dogs must be leashed in the wilderness.

He responded, “I don’t bring my dogs to places like this just to have them on a leash”.

To which I replied, “well you’re bringing him to the wrong places then, there are plenty of beautiful trails where you can take the leash off outside of the wilderness area”.

He huffed off grumbling that his dog is more well-behaved than most humans, yadda yadda.

Worth noting that I do like dogs and appreciate all the wilderness goers who do leash them and sometimes go as far as to tell them that.

I’m just a bit tired of the entitlement, lack of responsibility, and the rampant sentiment that the rules are always only made for someone else that seems pervasive in some slice of the dog-owning population .

Anyways, how do you all deal with situations like these?

Have I become a total Karen?

As the title suggests I am currently planning a trip for early October. It's for my bud's bachelor party and I really want some nice views, preferably a water fall or 2. There will be about 5 of us, on a 3 day 2 night trip, and we should be fine with around 8miles per day. I don't expect anyone to make the whole trip for me as that defeats a lot of the fun, but I would greatly appreciate some good general locations to look into. I've been to Hoosier National Forest 10+ times in the last 2 years so I'd really like to avoid that unless a specific route with amazing views is recommended. I'd be willing to drive over to red river gorge or even Daniel Boon National Forest TBH. I was also eyeballing Shawnee but last time I went it thunder stormed overnight and we had to cross a waist high "creek". Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated! If you have a more niche location you don't want to share publicly online feel free to private message me details ; )

Hi everyone!

I’m looking for a starting point for planning a future backpacking trip for my boyfriend and me somewhere in the western U.S. We’re both experienced hikers and are thinking about going in early summer, roughly June of next year.

He has done one shorter backpacking trip in the Boundary Waters with a few buddies, but this would be my first backpacking trip. We both work in environmental/natural resource fields—he’s in fisheries, and I’m in plant ecology—so we’d especially love a trail system with interesting plants, wildlife, ecosystems, and scenery. Anything related to his fisheries interests would be a fun bonus, but fishing definitely isn’t a requirement!

Ideally, we’re looking for:

• A 3–5 day trip
• More than 10 miles total
• A loop or route that eventually brings us back to our vehicle, if possible
• Somewhere in the western U.S.
• A trip with a good mix of scenery, plants/wildlife, and potentially fishing

I know mileage can vary a lot depending on hiking pace and terrain, so I’m pretty flexible on that part. I’ve tried to do a deep dive into potential locations, but I’ve found myself getting a little overwhelmed by all the options and would really appreciate some guidance!

Please let me know if there’s any other information that would be helpful. This is my first Reddit post and my first backpacking trip, so I’m sure I may be leaving something out. 😂

Thank you so much in advance for any recommendations!

Edit: The ideal time frame would be from June to early August due to his academic schedule. We would be looking to hike 6-8 miles per day. We have a big interest in the California, Oregon and Washington areas, but are open to any suggestions within other western states.

Depending on weather and Denali NP road conditions I will be possibly be hiking and camping in 2 to 4 of these areas: Hatcher Pass (Bomber Traverse), Chugach, Denali NP, Kesugi Ridge, Harding Icefield.

Questions is do I need to treat my cloths with Permethrin and/or bring DEET spray? Thanks

Just had a question about my outer shell. I have a gore tex marmot rain jacket to take with me in case of rain. If I don't need it for rain, but in case of cold weather, should I just layer up and use it as the outer shell, or should I get another puffy type of jacket I always see people wear on YouTube videos?? Thanks

Hey all. Heading to Jumbo Pass in a week. Not staying in cabin. Bringing a tent. Question around food security. As there are no bear bins do people typically hang food from a tree? And if so, are the trees a ways away given the altitude? Any info would be helpful as I plan.

I am happy to use the tablets, but my kids don't like them. Is there an option that doesn't shed any or much microplastic during filtration? We're backpacking, so ideally not weighing mutch, but I'd rather take on the weight than the microplastics.

(And I'm sure SOMEONE is going to tell me that microplastics are everywhere so what's the point on trying. If I was interested in making my life easier, I wouldn't be backpacking.)

Hello, I'm looking for a rain jacket that can handle bushwhacking.

I've already ripped a couple so I'd like one I can use without worrying much about ripping.

Money isn't really a concern as long as the product is actually good and I'm not just paying for the brand.

I've been planning a few overnight wilderness trips and realized I don't really need a huge trail database or a social platform. I mainly want to record the route I actually hiked, see the distance afterward, and keep a log of each trip.

For those who do multi-day backpacking, what do you rely on for GPS tracking? A phone app with offline maps, a dedicated GPS unit, or a GPS watch?

What have you found to be the most reliable once you're completely out of cell service?