Is it okay to walk casually in a large group while you’re on a hiking trail and not care to make space for other people walking towards you?
An internet user asked, “Am I a jerk for not stepping aside on the hiking trail?”. Read on to know what exactly happened!
Backstory
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The Original Poster (OP) went with her family (2 adults, and 2 kids) on a camping trip this past Labor Day weekend. They were walking on a trail and spotted a large group (about 6 people) headed towards them.
What Did They All Do Next?
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OP and her family got in a single file line while the party coming towards them was walking 3-across on the trail. They still had to step aside off the trail to avoid walking into each other. The other party didn’t step to the side at all.
“I thought it was extremely rude and told my husband I couldn’t stand it when people had no trail etiquette”, says OP.
Take Two!
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After doing some swimming, they headed back to their campsite when they saw the SAME group walking towards them from the other direction. They got in single-file again, except this time, OP told herself she wasn’t moving off the trail for these people.
This Time, OP Confronted Them
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As OP and her family approached, the other group carried on their conversation acting like they didn’t see them and one of the men ran into OP.
He said “Hey! Be careful!” OP said “Excuse me? You shouldn’t be walking so spread out on the trail. It’s rude expecting someone to move for you.”
The Situation Gets Escalated
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The man then asked OP if she was calling his family rude, and OP’s husband just grabbed OP’s arm and told her to leave it. They just walked away.
OP’s husband said she shouldn’t have started anything. She should have just moved over like she did before and avoided a confrontation.
“I was annoyed that they acted like they owned the trail. Am I the jerk for not moving?”, asks OP.
Not The Jerk At All
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“Not the jerk. If they were side by side, they need to go single file. It’s not reasonable to expect others to go off trail because of their narcissistic entitlement.”
It Is What It Is
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“Not the jerk. There are actually studies about how usually men will not be the ones to move or avoid someone on a sidewalk (or hiking trail) and it’s usually the woman who takes control of the situation and moves to not cause a collision.”
It Is Nothing But Common Etiquette
Image Credit: Roman Samborskyi, Shutterstock.
“Not the jerk – it is common etiquette to stay on one side when passing. In the US, you always hang to the right. Just like you drive. The same applies to sidewalks and things like malls.”
Not A Jerk Move But An Idiotic Move
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“You are not wrong, but you are an idiot if you are going to argue with a larger group on a trail with your kids around. Your husband knows that if it ends up being a fight in the BEST case scenario it will just be him getting beat up.”
Look At It This Way
Image Credit; Deposit Photos
“You just put your whole family at terrible risk because you decided to teach a total stranger some manners. Look at it that way and see if you need to ask the question here.”
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