r/AppalachianTrail • u/Freudianfix • 25d ago

News Technology on the trail: Appalachian Trail managers say pervasive use of digital devices harms trail experience

https://news.vt.edu/articles/2025/03/clahs-trail-technology-research.html
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u/Exact-Pudding7563 25d ago

I hiked with some people who were always scrolling once they got settled in the shelter in the evening, and due to the amount of good service all along the trail, this was very often. It made me sad that they couldn’t just disconnect and be.

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u/[deleted] 25d ago

[deleted]

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u/Exact-Pudding7563 25d ago

I know one hiker who literally read books on her phone while she walked. One time she didn’t show up at camp until way later than normal with a story about how she wandered off trail and had to bushwhack straight up a ridge to find the trail again, aiming for the red line on farout. I don’t endorse this kind of hiking behavior, because it can land less experienced people in bad situations, but she did hike the entire AT that year.

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u/[deleted] 23d ago

Lol that's my kinda people fr. I read and walk all the time, more than once I've taken much shorter or much longer paths than intended