Judgment on the Trail
I'm going to start by saying that some of the most amazing people I've met have been out on the trail. The "trail family" you meet along the way, the section hiker you meet on the uphill, or the day hiker that is envy of your mission, we all have that common hobby that brings us all together... but, "are you seriously packing that"...
You are a triple crown hiker, a thruhiker, a section hiker, or a day hiker.... we are all sharing the common mission of getting outside and enjoying nature. I can't count the amount of times that I have been judged on what I'm carrying, or how many days I've been out and how long it's taken me, or even because I was dying and hiked an extra .6 miles to get water.
Yes, I carry my Chacos with me, and I even carried my 8lb pregnant belly up the mountains because I wanted fresh air while suffering through 9 months of agony. I also strapped my 20lb son to my chest and carried him only 2 miles before I quit. When I get the opportunity to get out and take a break with nature, I appreciate every single second of it. There's no wrong or right way to spend time outside, only a safe and unsafe. My tampons I carried didn't make me fall down the hill I was hiking because of extra weight, my clumsy butt did!
So ladies and gentleman, let's all take a minute to be proud of each other for all of our hiking accomplishments, whether big or small, because it's a blessing we get to take advantage of nature like we do. So, I'm going to sit here and eat my twinkie, and salute all of you beautiful hikers for getting out and stopping the trail judgement!
A nonjudgmental,
Back Country Momma