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The High Sierra Trail used to be a quiet week, now it's a permit fight.
Did it in 2015, saw maybe ten people over six days. Tried to get a permit for this August and the quota was full in five minutes. Feels like social media and those 'best hikes' lists blew it up. Is this just how it is now for classic routes, or are there still quiet long trails out there?
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the_sarah1mo ago
It was never exactly a secret. The permit system for the High Sierra Trail has been a competitive mess for over a decade. The difference now is the speed of the online queue, which makes it feel more brutal. Social media just moved the same old crowd from mailing in forms to clicking refresh. Plenty of trails with similar views don't have the same brand name recognition, so they stay quieter. The fight is only for the postcard spots.
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faithk921mo ago
Gotta push back a bit, it's always been a fight for the big names. Try looking at the map for trails just outside the park boundaries, tons of quiet stuff.
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