A Problem

I have been on several climbing/camping trips this summer with my family and I have identified a problem.  I created this video to illustrate the problem.  Let me know if prefer the first half of the video or the second half and if you can guess the problem I speak of.

Also let me know if this issue bothers anyone else as much as it bothers me.  

If so, we really need to do something about this!

Drones? ;)

Edit to add: In all seriousness, though, we obviously climb different crags. I have yet to visit a crag where that's an issue. (Though to be fair, I have yet to visit CO or UT.)

I have never heard a drone that loud, but ya they suck, I agree...

Lee Chandlerwrote:

I have never heard a drone that loud, but ya they suck, I agree...

Those are motorcycle (or similar engine type) sounds, not drones.

I’ve only ever encountered a loud drone at a climbing crag once. It was in Italy. The drone was way louder than I expected a drone to be, and yes, annoying. 

Marc801 Cwrote:

Those are motorcycle (or similar engine type) sounds, not drones.

Thank for pointing that out ;)

Marc801 Cwrote:

Those are motorcycle (or similar engine type) sounds, not drones.

Hahaha! I failed. I can’t imagine all that many climbing areas where there are motorcycles riding nearby... 

Lena chitawrote:

Hahaha! I failed. I can’t imagine all that many climbing areas where there are motorcycles riding nearby... 

With the sound volume produced, they don’t exactly have to be nearby to be annoying. 

Lena chitawrote:

Hahaha! I failed. I can’t imagine all that many climbing areas where there are motorcycles riding nearby... 

Climb in the first third of the Trapps or Near Trapps at the Gunks on a nice fall weekend.

Lena chitawrote:

Hahaha! I failed. I can’t imagine all that many climbing areas where there are motorcycles riding nearby... 

Try to imagine anywhere in the South Platte, CO or Crazy Woman Crags in WY just for starters.

Lena chitawrote:

Hahaha! I failed. I can’t imagine all that many climbing areas where there are motorcycles riding nearby... 

This is one 

https://www.mountainproject.com/area/107965156/fish-creek-rock

I think it’s important to share our resources with other users. The “bird watchers” do not want anyone around period.  At Fish Creek we all share the place, dirt bikes can be very annoying but from my experience even the dirt bikers police there own. No fast riding and doughnuts in the campground.
I feel that’s it is important to understand other user groups, we all must share what we have.

And you probably used a drone to capture that video. I hate those and am considering digging out the old paint ball gun to safety blast the next one that comes in close to me out of the sky when I’m climbing.

Public lands should only be preserved for the hobby we climbers want to do but not someone elses hobby? While dirt biking is more environmentally destructive than climbing, the irony when someone who drives a sprinter van 30 miles into the woods but complains about the dirt bikes (often dual-sport so they meet street bike emission standards) is hard to take serious.  If the only consideration for whether someone should be able to partake in a hobby on pubic land is its environmental impact then you should look carefully at all outdoor recreation activities not just the ones that annoy you that day.

For the record, I am anti drone too.  But drones were never meant to be the focus of this discussion.  That is stock video I got from the interweb.  It was filmed by a guy walking through the river with a camera on a long stick.  So forget about drones for the purposes of this discussion.  My concern is ATVs which as you just said "can be very annoying".  The peace and quiet is the greatest part about being outdoors.  Noise pollution is pollution.  So why is one group of people allowed to pollute our environment and ruin the best part about being outdoors?    

Kevin Cochranwrote:

For the record, I am anti drone too.  But drones were never meant to be the focus of this discussion.  That is stock video I got from the interweb.  It was filmed by a guy walking through the river with a camera on a long stick.  So forget about drones for the purposes of this discussion.  My concern is ATVs which as you just said "can be very annoying".  The peace and quiet is the greatest part about being outdoors.  Noise pollution is pollution.  So why is one group of people allowed to pollute our environment and ruin the best part about being outdoors?    

“The peace and quiet is the greatest part...” that’s subjective, and obviously not everyone agrees. If you’re recreating somewhere that motorized recreation isn’t allowed, I’m sure there’s a way to report it. If you prefer peace and quiet, there’s lots of wilderness to enjoy where motorized vehicles are not allowed. If you want to take steps to ban it where it currently is allowed, tread carefully and be careful what you wish for - climbing is not often at the top of the list of preferred and allowed recreations when activities start getting banned. 

Kevin Cochranwrote:

For the record, I am anti drone too.  But drones were never meant to be the focus of this discussion.  That is stock video I got from the interweb.  It was filmed by a guy walking through the river with a camera on a long stick.  So forget about drones for the purposes of this discussion.  My concern is ATVs which as you just said "can be very annoying".  The peace and quiet is the greatest part about being outdoors.  Noise pollution is pollution.  So why is one group of people allowed to pollute our environment and ruin the best part about being outdoors?    

So is bolting climbs, putting chalk on climbs, interfering with bird nesting, driving to the climbing area, swimming near the climbing area, yelling about your sweet send, the metal used to make your climbing gear, the literal rubber made for your climbing shoe, building that access road to your climb, preserving access to your climb, removing debris near your climb, the trees killed for your climb, the plastic used for the climbing gym, quality lumber used for climbing walls, the list goes on. Dirt biking is definitely worse, but from the perspective of a bird watcher, a keen environmentalist, a hiker, rock climbing isn't some eco friendly hobby no matter how much stuff/how many Patagonia ads you hear.

Kevin Cochranwrote:

For the record, I am anti drone too.  But drones were never meant to be the focus of this discussion.  That is stock video I got from the interweb.  It was filmed by a guy walking through the river with a camera on a long stick.  So forget about drones for the purposes of this discussion.  My concern is ATVs which as you just said "can be very annoying".  The peace and quiet is the greatest part about being outdoors.  Noise pollution is pollution.  So why is one group of people allowed to pollute our environment and ruin the best part about being outdoors?    

That guy is walking up the river with a camera on a stick?   That’s pretty fast for walking.   Regardless, it’s all about sharing resources.   Once one group starts bitching about another it never ends well and sometimes the area gets shutdown for all.  
There is plenty of rock out there where ATV and motorcycle use is non existent, it’s easy to avoid.   

Kevin Cochranwrote:

My concern is ATVs which as you just said "can be very annoying".  The peace and quiet is the greatest part about being outdoors.  Noise pollution is pollution.  

if it bothers you that much, go to a place where motorized vehicles are not allowed (i.e. wilderness areas). if you really do live in denver, there are 4 that are within 1 hour...and there is one in particular that happens to be awesome right now....

I agree, this is a real problem. As a matter of fact, doesn't everyone agree? I mean, the solution is better battery technology. And I'm pretty sure that's one of the biggest unsolved issues in the economy. Tons of smart people working on it; just a really hard problem. But yeah, if you want to work in that field, we'd all agree you're doing a good thing.

Where have you been going in Colorado? The major OHV areas aren't exactly a secret and they're also pretty easy to avoid. I definitely find loud OHVs annoying and I also find it annoying when rafts and kayaks come down a river I'm fishing. They have a right to be there too so what do i do? I go somewhere else. 

If you're camping around Rampart Range and the South Platte then you're inflicting this on yourself.

The main issue with pickup trucks, ATVs, motorcycles, motorboats, etc., isn't just that they're loud, but oftentimes their owners WANT them to be loud.  The louder the better, in fact.  It's common for climbing areas to be in canyons with a road down the middle.  And guess who loves to ride up and down the canyon with no muffler?

Planes/helicopters aren't made deliberately louder (afaik) but they can drown out any/all conversation when they're overhead and nowhere is safe because they too like the wilderness.

I'm aghast that our laws allow the recreation of a few people to pollute the environments of so many others.

John RBwrote:

I'm aghast that our laws allow the recreation of a few people to pollute the environments of so many others.

Lol. I’m aghast that someone believes their own personal experience needs to be protected via laws legislating how others have an experience.

As the planet gets more crowded it gets harder to enjoy nature unpolluted by the experience of others. It’s still possible to be alone but it takes some work.