Trendwatch: Silent Walking, Now
Plus, new trails, a state park gets swamped by Instagrammers, make your own superbloom, angry goats, and more
howdy
Time is a flat circle. I can say this without sounding like a crank now (OK, maybe not totally) because, as an Elder Millennial, I have now seen things be passed around via word of mouth, then via message boards, then each different popular social media network. And now all of that same stuff is getting recycled and repackaged for the Gen Z audience that wasn’t around to see it the first time—context lost, like tears in the rain.
I recently saw a piece on the LA Times 404 Instagram account (which I genuinely love and think is doing a great job) that highlighted the bar Brennan’s and their iconic turtle races as a weird new thing to check out. I have distinct memories of a TV show I worked on producing a segment about these back in the mid aughts. And they’ve been going on since 1975, so we definitely weren’t the first, either.
I bring this up not because I have a soft spot for Brennan’s (never went, myself), but because outdoor and travel tips are routinely recycled, too. Back in April I wrote about the TikTok viral fueled trend of “Soft Hiking,” which is basically a repackaging of the idea that any time spent outside is good and you shouldn’t feel pressure to check off a list or do an EXTREME TRAIL because some jerk in the comments section tells you your stroll around a reservoir “isn’t a real hike.”
TikTok is back again, now, with a new outdoor trend—the Silent Walk—which blew up after TikTokker Mady Maio posted a two-minute video about how her nutritionist and boyfriend challenged her to walk for 30 minutes without distractions. Now it’s a thing getting coverage on the Today Show, even though it’s literally just “walking” the way we used to walk before everyone had computers in their pockets and on their wrists and over their faces. Do we need something to go viral on TikTok before we realize that turning off our Notification Machines and just being present in our neighborhoods or on our trails is good for our mental health? Maybe! Hey, as long as we get there, right?
I have long described my hiking style as “walking meditator.” Of the many different types of hiking I’ve encountered over the years, this is the one that feels most comfortable to me and—more importantly—is the most rewarding and refreshing. I’ve also always been a big proponent of hiking your own hike, and going at the speed, difficulty, and distance that you want to do, as long as it gets you outside … but I will say, if you’re usually the type of person who chats with friends or listens to music or a podcast on headphones while you hike, going silent once in a while can be a really nice deviation from the norm that opens up some new experiences for you.
You don’t need to TikTok about it, though.
Modern Hiking
Good stuff from the Modern Hiker site
We’ve got two new trail guides for you this week—first, Andrew Shults contributed a great piece on the north end of the Arroyo Seco, which is a nice gateway to the San Gabriel Mountains as well as a loop that can be combined with other nearby trails for a solid walk or trail run if you don’t want to spend too much time in your car getting to the trailhead.
I also spent some more time exploring the Columbia River Gorge and visited one of its many iconic waterfalls (and, of course, learned some local civil engineering history, too).
Welcome New Subscribers!
Hello and welcome to the 18 new free subscribers to the Modern Hiker Newsletter! I am happy to have you here.
Feel free to pitch in for coffee if you can spare a few bucks—and remember that paid subscribers are the folks who keep this project going … and there’s a good chance I’ll be devoting more time for the paid folks as this continues.
Your Parks
Your Places
Waterfall Flooded
And hey, in more everything-old-is-new-again, McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park in northern California has been experiencing a flood of new visitors lately. The newcomers are clogging narrow mountain roads, taking up all the parking spaces early in the morning, leaving cars where they’re not supposed to, and … well, you kind of know how this all goes, right?
The culprit? Pandemic related travel plus Instagram and TikTok, which showcased the spectacularly photogenic waterfall at the heart of California’s second state park. Residents of the nearby towns are sick of the mess and have basically given up on visiting the park during the summer. State officials who run the park have asked businesses in town to run a shuttle to the park to help with congestion but can’t find any takers. And of course, nobody is even mentioning the possibility of free, timed-entry permits.
Wildlife Crossing
Wildlife and the Outdoors
Here’s one more reason you might want to keep your dog on-leash the next time you’re hiking (even if it isn’t required)—mountain goats are chasing them off cliffs. In the past few weeks in Utah, there have been several instances of mountain goats goring unleashed dogs or knocking them off mountainsides. Utah County Sheriffs attribute the attacks to the fact that the goats had kids with them and felt threatened by the free-roaming canines.
Leafing Out
Plants!
The Theodore Payne Foundation in Los Angeles are some of my all-time favorite plant people. I used to wander around their nursery to learn about plants, took a bunch of classes there when I was tending a native garden in Thai Town, and just generally love everyone who works there. Their online presence has gotten a serious glow-up lately, but beyond the visual upgrades and expansion of book and wardrobe options, they’ve also done a really smart thing by rebranding their standard Southern California wildflower mix as an “Urban Superbloom” packet.
The packet features several tough keystone species for the region, as well as beautiful artwork from Lesley Goren. Are you ready for fall planting season? Be sure to check out the Foundation’s new store page (and tell them I said hi if you pop in for a visit).
One More Thing
Oh yeah, before I go …
Big running for maybe the Worst People in the Outdoors: a group of thieves who climbed a highly technical class five route in one of Switzerland’s toughest climbing areas only to smash open and raid a remote donation box that climbers use to help fund the volunteers who maintain the route. The volunteers estimate between 400-500 Swiss francs were stolen (about $450-560 US), but after word got out, a local donor contributed 500 francs to make up for the loss.
Also!
Recently I wrote about how I needed a dose of mountain ranges in my life—and next week if the smoke stays away, I’ll be heading up to Washington for a few days to see some. That means I likely won’t get a newsletter together for next week. But maybe the one after that will be twice as good?!
Either way, until next time, Happy Trails!
Er, got the latest newsletter today 8/31, with coupon codes that expired 8/24. Oops! It’s ok, I’m not shopping this week anyway.
Sad to read about Burney Falls getting loved to death. They’re on my to do list but maybe I’ll wait for a slower season.
Also sad to read about dogs paying the price for their human’s stupidity.
But I am happy to read about the idea of distraction free hiking! I hope that trend catches on so I am not periodically seized by the impulse to want to harm the inconsiderate people who insist on hiking to an audible soundtrack.
I wish more hikers would take your excellent advice, because I'm sure they'd find the experience rewarding. Whatever gets people off their couches and off on walks and hikes is good, but I've found that minimizing conversation and other distractions has great meditative benefits, by allowing the mind to freely wander wherever it will. That's why solo hiking is so appealing, even though people are usually cautioned (with reason) against it.