Bushwalk Australia

On a recent trip to the Mt Anne circuit my partner and I rolled into camp at the shelf at about 7.30 pm after walking in from the northern car park and climbing Mt Anne along the way.
Arriving at Shelf Camp we were greeted by a Ranger who gave us the spiel on leave no trace and the dangers of continuing the circuit as there was rain and wind predicted the next day…all well and good.
What I didn’t like was said Ranger coming over to our tent spot critiquing our gear,asking us what was for dinner etc. all the while my partner and I were quietly trying to enjoy our wine and cheese,while minding our own business.
I don’t know about you guys,but my partner and I escape to the wilderness to get away from people and noise not to socialise and make new friends.Nay sound harsh but it is what it is.

My 2c. It is inevitable to come across people and impossible not to socialize in a hut or designated campspot. Especially on a busy trail. And over 100 people you meet, a percentage will surely annoy you. A good option to avoid crowds and all related problems, is finding a secluded spot to camp or choosing a quiet area, maybe even off-season. That is what I do. There is no way you can expect to have the whole place for yourself in areas such SCT, OT, Mt. Anne, Frenchman's ecc.
I personally met few rangers in Tasmania, on the Arthurs and on the DuCane (and other places) and they all have been extremely pleasant to chat with. About critiquing gear, it is always wise to listen to other's reasons and experiences. Too often we spend time online to plan and plot, but then when we hit the bush, we realise the game is not always what we expected.

CBee thanks for your reply.The issue for us wasn’t the amount of people or where we were camped,We generally avoid these places,as it was there were only a handful of people at the shelf this night and we were spread out and not in close quarters,it was the said person coming over and invading our space at our tent whilst we were clearly having some private time.I don’t mind a hello and quick chat,but when someone plonks themselves down unasked and hangs around for 20 minutes it’s a bit much.As for the gear,we have been hiking and climbing long enough to know what gear we need/don’t need and the kind of weather we can handle.

I'm blunt in situations like this. Mostly I avoid official campsites in order to keep away from people, but on some routes it isn't possible. If people are determined to be social, I flatly tell them "I'm deaf, antisocial and not a nice person. Just leave me alone." It works. I don't make friends, but I do get my peace and quiet.

Sounds like you were up there around the same time I was.

I'm with lostsoul and NNW on this one. Rangers do their job best in the background.

sounds like you guys need to lighten up a bit! The Anne circuit is 3 or 4 days. Hard to imagine this ranger was invading your space for more than 20 minutes or so, and it was all too much ??

A constant opinion put forward by many on this forum when discussing how best to manage the increasing number of people out bush walking is education and Rangers must surely be on the front line of this. To best gauge whether people need a bit of guidance it stands to reason these people will need to engage with track users.

There's no shortage of places to go if being sociable for 20 minutes is asking too much.......

Mechanic-AL wrote:There's no shortage of places to go if being sociable for 20 minutes is asking too much.......

Or:
There's no shortage of places to meet people to interact with if my not being sociable is asking too much.

No-one is under any obligation to talk with anyone else when out bush. People are allowed to want to be left alone.

How does someone who finds being sociable so abhorrent end up having 13 802 posts on SOCIAL MEDIA ? Most of it being friendly advice to others ??

Maybe need a tent tag or other identifier for those not wanting to be further disturbed, Skull & X Bones comes to mind.

I'd admit, even with groups (surrounded by people) it can become a bit of a chore to entertain the park staff at the end of a long day, likely much longer and often more physical than theirs.

From their side, it takes some time to learn to read people and track rangers are more likely to include newer staff and probably feel they are doing good by working out of hours. They also may be struggling themselves with the isolation. Personally I like to hear of more staff in the field. Maybe for later visits they could (introduce themselves as the track ranger to new arrivals but) at least drop the uniform after hours.

Lostsoul wrote:On a recent trip to the Mt Anne circuit my partner and I rolled into camp at the shelf at about 7.30 pm after walking in from the northern car park and climbing Mt Anne along the way.
Arriving at Shelf Camp we were greeted by a Ranger who gave us the spiel on leave no trace and the dangers of continuing the circuit as there was rain and wind predicted the next day…all well and good.
What I didn’t like was said Ranger coming over to our tent spot critiquing our gear,asking us what was for dinner etc. all the while my partner and I were quietly trying to enjoy our wine and cheese,while minding our own business.
I don’t know about you guys,but my partner and I escape to the wilderness to get away from people and noise not to socialise and make new friends.Nay sound harsh but it is what it is.

The ranger was probably just trying to do their job - and be a ‘person’ not just a uniform. If it was really annoying to you then another time perhaps say something like:

‘It’s been great talking to you -and so good to see rangers out here helping people to do the right thing. We’re exhausted so we just need a bit of time by ourselves now.’

Rangers might be ‘country -type’ people who appreciate a yarn and I imagine that they can get a bit isolated. They have probably been asked to be approachable and friendly - rather than officious - and it sounds to me like that was what this ranger was doing.

In fact it wouldn’t surprise me if there had been complaints about littering and ill-equipped hikers and that this is a specific safety response with the ranger expected to approach everyone…

A lot of people don't pick up on social queues very well, myself included, so being blunt but polite is probably the best option...

I once had someone who clearly didn't know their place harassing me in just the same way. *&%$#! cheek.

Mechanic-AL wrote:How does someone who finds being sociable so abhorrent end up having 13 802 posts on SOCIAL MEDIA ? Most of it being friendly advice to others ??

By controlling how and when I interact with people. Face to face is different to working through keyboard and screen. When I have the spoons, I do this. When I don't, I walk away; frequently that walking away involves going bush. Going bush is, in great part, specifically about getting away from people. Also, in case you forgot or never read it, I'm deaf. Online is the easiest and most practical method of interaction for me, whether business or personal.
Not that it's any of your business how anyone else lives their life if it doesn't directly affect you.

Joynz wrote:In fact it wouldn’t surprise me if there had been complaints about littering and ill-equipped hikers and that this is a specific safety response with the ranger expected to approach everyone…

No.
Don't know if it was the same ranger, but there was one camped there when I rocked in, and he specifically said he was there to check how the registration system was/wasn't affecting how people were accessing the circuit. (Plus telling people where the still unsignposted dunny was positioned, although I missed that until asking him about it on the way out.) He also warned me about the weather expected two days hence, although wasn't a surprise (except for how far off it was) as there had been clear signs of a change coming since I started the walk.

Track rangers and hut wardens are the norm on the Overland now, and probably Frenchmans as well. Looks like they're tinkering with it elsewhere. One of the things they're there for is to check that walkers are appropriately equipped and capable. There were people on the way up when I was going down who were having trouble with Eliza. Hate to think how they would have gone at the Notch or the crux point between it and Shelf.

There is also the converse that can happen. Walkers wonder what is going on with a Ranger sitting around in a camp and NOT interacting. Maybe because they can see the folk are well equipped, coping, not struggling. Maybe they also had a long day on the track interacting with people,. Its a no win situation sometimes but usually with a case like that I would 'de-identify myself' by taking off any uniform/identification unless I saw someone struggling.

Wouldn't worry me so long as they're friendly. I kind of expect it on popular tracks and definitely avoid those walks during holiday periods because of it. Although having said that, I did enjoy the social element of walking the OLT because you're bumping into the same people every day

I'll say Hi when I arrive and a see ya later when I leave. Normally that's as far as it goes.

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FLICKIT wrote:A lot of people don't pick up on social queues very well, myself included, so being blunt but polite is probably the best option...

The thing is, it's not a normal social interaction. The ranger is an authority figure with the power to mess up my trip, so I'm not going to be blunt with them, even politely.

ribuck wrote:

FLICKIT wrote:A lot of people don't pick up on social queues very well, myself included, so being blunt but polite is probably the best option...

The thing is, it's not a normal social interaction. The ranger is an authority figure with the power to mess up my trip, so I'm not going to be blunt with them, even politely.

It's true they're an authority figure but it's not like they have the power to tell you to turn around and go home because you say something like: "Not to be rude but I have some things to do so I'll catch you later" ...

Rangers don't really have much power at the best of times do they?,

FLICKIT wrote:Rangers don't really have much power at the best of times do they?,

I suspect "Track Rangers" have zero actual authoritative powers. Their role is primarily education. If they found anyone 'offending' I suspect they would just call it in to an 'authorised' Ranger

Did the ranger try to inspect your park pass or verify your walk registration?

Goanna no they did not funnily enough….more interested that I was using Sisalation for a tent footprint and what type of cheese we were having with our wine.

wow, sounds awful, someone tried to talk to you at a popular camp site.

north-north-west wrote:I'm blunt in situations like this. Mostly I avoid official campsites in order to keep away from people, but on some routes it isn't possible. If people are determined to be social, I flatly tell them "I'm deaf, antisocial and not a nice person. Just leave me alone." It works. I don't make friends, but I do get my peace and quiet.

Sounds like you were up there around the same time I was.

I met someone fitting the description you describe in the carpark of a popular trailhead on the weekend. I tried a little bit to be social and pleasant with them, but I could clearly see they weren't interested and wanted to get walking. They could help themselves but to smile at my 3yo though. That was lovely.

Peace and quiet is important, but so to is a smile.

ive had a range try and stop me going onto a track , wouldnt issue my hut tickets because of a bad weather forecast...
told them i've been here a dozen times before in all weather.... they stopped most other people that day... they let me on... if you're in an area that gets a lot of muppets. then you get rangers trying to micro manage people.. if you're unlucky you still get micro managing rangers where thre arent muppets, possibly because thats what they are used to doing. a lot of bushwalkers could teach some of the rangers a thing or two...

potato wrote:
Peace and quiet is important, but so to is a smile.

Jeez Potato, I hope your not teaching your kids to smile in the bush.

There goes the wilderness.........