Some B.C. hikers are cranky with out-loud music on local trails
Posted June 16, 2021 7:13 am.
Last Updated June 16, 2021 7:42 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
NORTH VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Lower Mainland trails are busy and it seems some tempers are rising when it comes to hikers who like to share with others — their music, that is.
Bluetooth speakers have become a backpack essential for more people in recent years, much to the annoyance of an increasing number of others, according to Vince Shuley with The Pique Newsmagazine in Whistler.
He wrote about it recently, in response to a viral tweet that has made the rounds among backcountry users, which reads “Stop bringing s***** Bluetooth speakers on hikes. No one came to the woods to hear you listen to Katy Perry.”
Shuley says the response has been overwhelming.
“They are agreeing 100 per cent. This is what I came into the outdoors for, why do I have to listen to the soundtrack of someone else’s life? I think it’s just a general lack of consideration for your fellow humans and it shows a blatant disconnect from your natural surroundings to use a Bluetooth speaker to ‘fuel’ your wilderness experience,” Shuley tells NEWS 1130.
Did anyone defend the practice?
“Not really, to be honest. That may be because I have no followers [in that camp] or, more than likely, people were not reaching out to me with their stories about how they like their speakers because they were shy about jumping into the comments section for obvious reasons. There will be 100 commenters against them,” he adds.
Shuley says the case can be made for out-loud music on the trail at times. Perhaps some people have troubles with earbuds or headphones, or they want to use the noise as a bear deterrent.
“But you can safely assume that 98 per cent of people going into the backcountry with Bluetooth speakers are not doing it for the sake of the bears or their own safety.”
So what is the reason? Shuley chuckles and says he assumes it’s a cry for attention.
“The music that they are playing is supposed to attract some sort of vibe or energy, and they are at the centre of it.”
But he makes sure to point out that he is not against loud music — he feels there is a time and a place for it.
“If you need to run the speaker on your phone on the trail, fearing for your safety with bears, that’s totally fine. If you get to your destination and you can find a spot out of the way to set up a little party, that’s totally fine, as long as people can get distance from you,” he says.
“It’s a free country but we just don’t want to hear your speaker on a crowded hiking trail.”
In other words, keep your Katy Perry to yourself in the backcountry.
