Feedback on a small issue?

Many of my guests come here to go hiking. Backcountry with no cell service is an hour walk from my house. We have good mountain rescue folks here, and we want to keep them from having to do rescues when possible.

I have a form that I ask guests to fill out and leave when they go hiking, asking for the trail name, their intended destination, time they are leaving, time they expect to be back, their cell number, and if they know, names of who will be with them.

I also ask them to sign the log books in and out at every local trailhead, so that if they have come back to the road system searchers will know.

I been hiking those trails since I was a toddler on my Dad’s back. Local folks rarely hike solo, except for the trail running hammerheads. It’s rugged country, mountains rising 3000 ft from sea level, many areas where VHF or cell phones don’t reach. It’s a rain forest so mountaintops are often in the clouds if it’s raining or drizzling.

If guest tell me that they will be hiking, I will share my knowledge of the trails, and try to make sure that they are properly equipped and have emergency food and raingear, even on a nice sunny day, since our weather can change quickly. Hypothermia kills more people than moose or bears!

Many of the trails go to former mines, now abandoned, with tunnels and shafts that are not safe. It’s not a place you want to be injured and alone.

And we have critters. Black and brown bears, wolves, coyotes, deer, an occasional lynx.

So yes, I’m right to worry about my hikers. My sightseers, not so much.

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Thank you, Dennis, for taking that responsibility!

I hope you advertise your expertise and your knowledge - your airbnb sounds very special…

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Anyone who thinks it’s cool to go hiking or swimming alone, without anyone knowing where you plan to go or when you plan to be back needs to watch the movie 127 Hours, based on the true story of a guy who did that, got trapped in a ravine with his arm pinned to the wall by a boulder that had become dislodged and fell, and ended up sawing his own arm off with his pocketknife after being trapped there for over 5 days, unable to move.

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When I was driving taxi, I would get idiots off cruise ships in shorts and tee shirts with running shoes and plastic ponchos wanting to hike to Mendenhall Glacier. I wouldn’t do it unless they got proper clothing. I preferred to turn down a $40 trip ($80 return) than let some thoughtless bozo kill himself and his new bride.

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And then there are the travel bloggers who have fallen to their deaths standing on the edge of a cliff to get the ultimate shots for their youtube channel.
Darwin awards for them.

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Having lived in Wa St for years, there were jokes about people hiking parts of Mt. Rainier in high heels. Now, admittedly it was one of the paved, but rather steep trails, and there they were, off the bus with the high heels.

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You should see the city Mexican gals, who love their high heels, negotiating the cobblestone streets :slight_smile:

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Saw it in Portugal, super high heeled boots on cobblestones. I’m sure there was more than one train wreck.

In San Miguel, it was even more amazing during a thunderstorm on Halloween night. Amazingly the Day of the Dead displays survived the downpour, but water from uphill streets flooded the cobblestone streets in Centro. Women in heels were taking them off to walk in streets flooded with 6-10 inches of rushing water.

None of the taxis there have any suspension going over those cobblestoned streets.

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I might have bee oncerned, but since there were 2 guests, not as much. I definately would have waited until after 9:30 a.m. to text any guest for any reason other than a calamity.

“a small issue” A v.v.v.v.v.v.very small issue. Why would you mention it at all. Let go. Seek therapy for your saviour complex; mother complex. I think you are a little weird. Why should they tell you anything? I would be most concerned if someone sent me a text from an Air. Good luck.

I appreciate that you have concerns, what if they did not return because they were crime victims. On the other hand, just let this go without complaining.