Is All This Becoming TOO Popular?

[wayoflife]

I think it reflects the general breakdown of society. So many individuals just don’t care about anything outside of themselves nor do they care about anything other than the here and the now. It’s largely the same group who do not return shopping carts, don’t hold doors for others, and are just generally shitty self-centered obnoxious ass-holes.

I think you're right. How and why the breakdown started? Who knows for sure and maybe it no longer matters. I just wish there were a way to help stop or even stem it from spreading it any further. What I can say is that it is a big part about why I've chosen to live where I live now though. When Cindy and I were caucusing, actually getting out and meeting the people immediately around us, I was happy with what I saw.

 

[wayoflife]

while there had been an increased interest in the RV life over the years, covid brought out the "van life", "overlanding" youtube "look at me" morons and put it on steroids.

I was talking to a family member who's been a park ranger for 20+ years and has worked several national parks across the USA, his comments mirror what your friend told you, covid brought out the worst of the self-entitled younger crowds, they would constantly have to chase them out of the park for overstaying the limited timeframes and because many of them were on youtube and posting locations for some of the harder to find spots (as a means to get around the time limits) it made them have to close areas for "overuse" but, it was really to clean up the waste and trash these people left behind as they would crowd into slots made for a single camp; because of the lack of manpower, they would leave the areas closed.

Pisses me off when I get into an area that is not meant for camping, but some jackass has setup a broken-down RV, tents, their clothing and shit hanging off the trees and lines strung around their area with more hanging shit as if they're homesteading and then the stench of human waste --- fucking hippies.

After knee surgery I was looking forward to doing some camping but every campground I've wanted to get into in the mountain areas have been at capacity and reservations are encouraged a year in advance!

I miss the days of being able to book a campsite a few months in advance, I have no idea if I'll be able to commit a year out.

I read an article not too long ago that the van life/overlanding trend is starting to lose it's shine and am really hoping that it is.

I also wonder how many of the same people book multiple weeks throughout the summers year after year.

I guess I could of stated all of that with

What you're describing does sound a lot like what I was hearing and I do hope what you read about the van life/overlanding thing losing its shine is true.

 

[wayoflife]

There is a river, my favorite in WA that I go to every year to fly fish. You can't drive there. There are limited places to stay. You can't rent a car (I used to fish it by bike). There is no cell service and very limited wifi access. These are some of the things (not counting 20" cutthroats) that I enjoy about going there...but every year I get on the boat ferry to go uplake to this place, I see more and more people bringing rods on the boat. Some of the land owners have built extra cabins for people to stay at; some with cars. Usually I don't see a single person fishing the river when I'm on it, now occasionally I see a few. This all has happened within the 7 years I have been fishing it...

It is the way of the world...

I guess that's how you know you're getting old. When the way of the world becomes the norm and what you remembered has become a thing of the past.

What a great group of people on this run!

It really was a great group and I'm happy to see that you're still a part of it

Wow how great it was to see after all these years, even got a shot of me in there. hahahaha Another great job from you guys, and Andrew in there too.

I gotta give you props for organizing these runs Eddie, I know how stressful it must be making sure evreyone gets off the trails safely. This brought back some great memories for me for sure. Thanks for posting this up I never new this video existed.

LOL - Glad I was able to share this with you. Good times were had that day for sure.

 

[bobfriesenhahn]

On a recent trek that took Cindy and I through Death Valley, we ran into a friend of ours who's in law enforcement and so I took some time to ask him about the park. Knowing that there was extensive damage to a lot of the roads and trails from the big storm that rolled through the area in August of 2023, I was kind of hoping to get an idea of what was open, what was not and regarding the later, when things would open up again. And, if there was one thing that he mentioned that really caught my attention, it was in regards to things that had been closed or restricted due to overuse.

Obviously, things out in our National Parks and trails as a whole have changed a LOT over the years and much of this is due to the ever growing popularity off roading. Talking to our friend, he said that this really started to explode during the virus years as people turned to camping or "overlanding" to escape from the dungeons that they were forced to live in. Certainly, this is something that Cindy and I saw first hand, all across remote stretches of Nevada and in places where we never saw anyone ever before. Unfortunately, this surge in off road/overlanding popularity has significantly impacted areas in places like Death Valley and with all kinds of trash, shit (as in literally, the stuff that comes out of your ass) and damage to sensitive areas. Unfortunately, lacking the kind of resources necessary to deal with the onslaught of people heading out to these wild places, a lot of them have just been closed off.

After reading a thread that @DirtHeadDavis posted up about Anza Borrego, describing something similar and listening to how it made him feel, I started to wonder... is all this becoming TOO popular? I would never pretend to have an answer for any of this but I am interested in hearing what you think about it.

The Ocotillo Wells area just north of Anza Borrego has certainly been turned into a shithole. It is totally overrun by ATVs.

When I was young we went camping in those areas and they were still very nice and pristine.

Now it is just a place for the "jet-skis" of the desert.

 

[bobfriesenhahn]

I think you're right. How and why the breakdown started? Who knows for sure and maybe it no longer matters. I just wish there were a way to help stop or even stem it from spreading it any further. What I can say is that it is a big part about why I've chosen to live where I live now though. When Cindy and I were caucusing, actually getting out and meeting the people immediately around us, I was happy with what I saw.

I think that the breakdown started with the Sony Walkman, but particularly when cell phones became popular. It became common for most people to go everywhere with buds in their ears, totally tuning out the rest of the world.

This causes grave psychological issues.

 

[DirtHeadDavis]

This causes grave psychological issues.

Second only to wokeness!

 

[JAGS]

The internet has all but ruined any “secret” place. In the old days, one would have to research in books to find cool secret gems. This isnt just impacting the off-road world , but places in general.

We’ve seen this a lot in Maui over the last ten years. Secret places are no longer secret and more and more “local” spots are taken over by tourist.

Worst part of it all is those sharing information not only exploit for likes and few pennies per view, that don’t bother to share how to be respectful of our land so that future generations can enjoy the same wonders we enjoy.

Side note, this was/is always one of the best parts about exploring with Eddie and Cindy. They shared the history of the location and the importance to keep it historical. My kids especially liked this part and knew how cool these places were. We still talk about our adventures over the last nearly 12 years.

The interwebs is a love/hate thing for sure. Wouldn’t have found WAL without it. Sadly, not all are equal to WAL.

 

[NevadaJohnny]

Everyone makes really good points. I would simply piggyback and say it's mostly internet maps and the people looking for a few clicks.

It's the same with the beautiful small towns (especially in the west). Certain internet people make videos about them and next thing you know the left coasters are migrating.

 

[wayoflife]

The Ocotillo Wells area just north of Anza Borrego has certainly been turned into a shithole. It is totally overrun by ATVs.

When I was young we went camping in those areas and they were still very nice and pristine.

Now it is just a place for the "jet-skis" of the desert.

Haven't been out there since TDS stopped doing their event there. Maybe more than a decade now that I think about it and mainly because it was starting to get bad back then. Can't imagine what it's like now.

 

[wayoflife]

The internet has all but ruined any “secret” place. In the old days, one would have to research in books to find cool secret gems. This isnt just impacting the off-road world , but places in general.

We’ve seen this a lot in Maui over the last ten years. Secret places are no longer secret and more and more “local” spots are taken over by tourist.

Worst part of it all is those sharing information not only exploit for likes and few pennies per view, that don’t bother to share how to be respectful of our land so that future generations can enjoy the same wonders we enjoy.

Side note, this was/is always one of the best parts about exploring with Eddie and Cindy. They shared the history of the location and the importance to keep it historical. My kids especially liked this part and knew how cool these places were. We still talk about our adventures over the last nearly 12 years.

The interwebs is a love/hate thing for sure. Wouldn’t have found WAL without it. Sadly, not all are equal to WAL.

Glad to hear your kids enjoyed coming along on our runs.

 

[kevman65]

Instant gratification, leaving one's mark, getting noticed, lacking respect of one's surroundings and the people in it.

Used to be the best way to find good fishing spots was pouring over topo maps of bodies of water and learning the history of the area by reading and talking to people. Then the internet showed up and people started talking about specific hidden gems and it was easy for everyone to find them. Now they are neither hidden nor a gem.

Same thing, different hobby. Boils down to the people that do the most to preserve the hobby are being driven out by those who do the least, expect the most, and usually disappoint everyone.

 

[DirtHeadDavis]

Can't imagine what it's like now.

Imagine this:


A bunch of trailer park boys leaving all their shit in the desert to burn.

Oh shit wait THAT IS Ocotillo wells!

 

[benatc1]

Lots of great points in this thread, I hate painting with a broad brush but it’s definitely the SXS people lol.. in reality tho it kinda is, all (not really all) those people are the same people who don’t give a fuck about anyone or anything, those machines have made it so easy to access the unknown because really all you need is bad enough credit to get a 15% loan on a truck, trailer and sxs. Couple that with the types of people you generally see on those things and it makes a perfect alignment with many types of people everyone is talking about on here. I have a few people on my neighborhood who own them and they drive them everywhere on the road, and I live in a very suburban area, I just don’t get it.

 

[TrailHunter]

I don't know what you guys are worried about... With the all Demasculinization of Men happening in this country, we may have the trails all to our selves in a few years.

 

[DirtHeadDavis]

I don't know what you guys are worried about... With the all Demasculinization of Men happening in this country, we may have the trails all to our selves in a few years.

Not here in Cali man… All I saw in the desert yesterday were Subarus driven by lesbians! Complete with the popular “coexist” and “love is love” stickers next to their stick figure family that includes all 7 of their cats.

 

[TrailHunter]

Not here in Cali man… All I saw in the desert yesterday were Subarus driven by lesbians! Complete with the popular “coexist” and “love is love” stickers next to their stick figure family that includes all 7 of their cats.

Oh.. we're screwed then. Lol

 

[Mike Pierson]

Lots of great points in this thread, I hate painting with a broad brush but it’s definitely the SXS people lol.. in reality tho it kinda is, all (not really all) those people are the same people who don’t give a fuck about anyone or anything, those machines have made it so easy to access the unknown because really all you need is bad enough credit to get a 15% loan on a truck, trailer and sxs. Couple that with the types of people you generally see on those things and it makes a perfect alignment with many types of people everyone is talking about on here. I have a few people on my neighborhood who own them and they drive them everywhere on the road, and I live in a very suburban area, I just don’t get it.

Yep, I agree with you, Ben. There’s no doubt that some off-roaders and overlanders are trash too, but I think the SxS folks are significantly worse. Most of them have very little respect for other folks on the trail or any regard for the land they tear up. That’s my experience at least seeing it first hand on many occasions.

 

[Ddays]

This too shall pass.
In the mid-late 70's & early 80's we went through the same cycle. EVERYONE hunted, had dirt bikes, put mud tires on their trucks, went camping or had a camp, fished, etc, etc. Then it died off during the late 80's and into the 90's & the activity just hovered. The Plandemic has helped re-ignite the outdoor activity craze but it had already started in the teens again it seemed. And honestly it's a positive for folks to get off their asses & unplug. Get your kids out into the outdoors & all that. I think that we the people that have had those attitudes & sensibilities all along (it is a Wayalife after all....) have a hard time sharing with all of the hipsters, podcasters, new age hippies & the rest that are out in the wild now. Unfortunately in a lot of cases these idiots are just ignorant to the outdoor protocols - leave it better than you found it. Hopefully this will die down again & something else gains in popularity to get rid of the casual "this is cool" crowd.

PS: Major pet peeve of these clowns: rock cairns. Just. Stop.

 

[wayoflife]

Imagine this:

View attachment 402166
A bunch of trailer park boys leaving all their shit in the desert to burn.

Oh shit wait THAT IS Ocotillo wells!

Yet another reminder why I stopped going there years ago.

 

[wayoflife]

Lots of great points in this thread, I hate painting with a broad brush but it’s definitely the SXS people lol.. in reality tho it kinda is, all (not really all) those people are the same people who don’t give a fuck about anyone or anything, those machines have made it so easy to access the unknown because really all you need is bad enough credit to get a 15% loan on a truck, trailer and sxs. Couple that with the types of people you generally see on those things and it makes a perfect alignment with many types of people everyone is talking about on here. I have a few people on my neighborhood who own them and they drive them everywhere on the road, and I live in a very suburban area, I just don’t get it.

Man, you know how I feel about SXS and the people who drive them. They really are the scourge and the REAL problem.

That said, they aren't allowed in places like Death Valley and in really remote areas, you don't see them as much out there either especially being that they would need to stage somewhere. In places like that, we've been seeing a shit ton more of the overland/van life types everywhere just setting up camp all along the trail and leaving their shit everywhere too.