It was a Facebook phenomenon. On April 1 (yes, that is April Fools Day!), A local radio station posted a made up story about having to purchase a pass to hike on Badger Mountain. You can see the phony story here: Richland to require pre-paid access cards to hike-badger mountain in may. Well, it turns out many people were fooled by the bogus headline. If you follow the link far enough, it tells you it is an April fools joke.
But, what if this was a reality? With the number of people hiking Badger Mountain topping 200,000 in 2014, the numbers are a potential recipe for trouble. You’ve probably heard the saying “a few people ruin it for everyone“.
The sister web site to hiketricities.com is hikehealthy.com. Hikehealthy.com is the home to the Hike Healthy Podcast. The latest episode is on Hiking Etiquette and Trail Manners. With so many people going up on Badger Mountain and other hikes for the first time, sharing this article and podcast with anyone who might be hiking will go a long way toward keeping the peace on our local hiking trails. Please share the link freely and encourage others to hike responsibly!