It’s almost trail season again. For semi-compulsive folks like me that means it’s time to start nailing down plans for summits and other backcountry fun. And it’s also time to start feeling just a smidge guilty about what is surely my personal largest source of carbon emissions: driving to trailheads.
So on Saturday when I finally laced up the hiking boots again after an unusually slothful winter, I chose to slog my way up West Tiger Mountain 1 and 2, partly because those destinations can be reached by driving fewer than two dozen miles from home. (Tangent: wow, there’s a lot of snow out there.) But then today, as I was starting to feel pretty good about myself, I got an email from Andrew Engleson, the editor of Washington Trails Magazine, who one-upped me by biking from Seattle to the trailhead at Cougar Mountain, and then biking back home. Read about it here.
Andrew’s adventure reminded me of a site I’ve been meaning to blog about: Hike Metro. It’s a very cool smattering of hiking ideas, complete with instructions, about how to get to trailheads on bus fare. By necessity, of course, most of the listed hikes are relatively near cities, but there are a few far flung locales too.
It also reminded me that I’ve long wanted to ask folks about how they get to trailheads without that little lingering guilt. I carpool whenever possible, of course, and I drive a fairly fuel efficient car, even on roads that it’s probably not designed for. But to be completely honest, I’m not going to cut back my hiking, skiing, or climbing. So what should I do?
And what about folks in British Columbia and Oregon? Are there ways to hike by bus—or even by bike—in those parts of the Northwest too?
Update 4/15: Adding that, somewhat counterintuitively, busing it may not always be the most carbon-efficient way to reach the trailhead (because when the seats are full, cars are pretty darn efficient per passenger-mile). It is, however, a good choice for those who choose to live carless, which is itself highly carbon efficient.
Eric H
Hear, hear Eric! I share in your moral dilemma. How can we enjoy the outdoors we try to preserve whilst polluting on the way? I don’t have many more answers than you, but I’m always one to suggest organizations like the Mountaineers or the Mazamas where you can find other people going out for hikes, maximizing carpool possibilities.
morgan
I’m plagued by the same set of dilemmas and have found myself hiking a little bit less with the biggest difference of moving my trail workouts from Mt Si to Discovery Park, which turns out to be a pretty good, if not better, alternative.In addition to more aggressively soliciting and coordinating with my hiking pals, I’ve also been exploring a couple local Meetup groups as a way to car pool to trailheads. I’d write more about my successes there, but I must finish my taxes.
Paul Birkeland
I share the guilty feeling about driving to the mountains, and perhaps this is just rationalization. But it is not the drives to the mountains that are the problem. The problem is the cars being used to pick up the kids at school or to get a loaf of bread. If each of us had a “carbon quota,” then I think driving to the mountains is just what I would save mine for. In fact, given that most people even considering this issue are working for the environment in their personal and/or professional life, and given the refreshment and renewal we get from a day on the trail to help us keep working, and given that I am introducing my kids to the joy of being “out there” and the value of wilderness, I might argue that those are some of the best-spent emissions you can find. Sure, it would be nice if we all drove to the mountains in plug-in electric vehicles. But we ought not limit our mountain visits until that day arrives! Mountain visits are part of the solution. Make as many as you can. And take along some kids!
Michael Newton
Vancouver’s north shore has loads of hiking that’s accessible by transit. We’ve got the advantage of having nothing but wilderness north of the city; if you skirt by Whistler, you could probably head north all the way to the Arctic Ocean without hitting another town! Cypress and Seymour Provincial parks, Lynn Canyon and Lynn Headwaters regional parks, not to mention numerous smaller parks and of course, the Grouse Grind.
Adam
I live in NYC and there are a surprising number of trails nearby and all accessible by bus from Port Authority or Metro-North. Bear Mtn. and Harriman State Park make for good weekend trips and only an hour’s ride out of the city.
Rick Dubrow
Check out the “Self-Propelled Outdoor Club (SPOC)” described in http://www.momentumplanet.com/features/self-propelled-outdoor-club
Kevin Gorman
I’m the director of Friends of the Columbia Gorge and one of the ways that we cut carbon and exposure people to the beauty of Columbia Gorge is by carpooling to our scheduled hikes. The hikes run until Father’s Day weekend and can by found at http://www.gorgefriends.org. Most hikes originate at the Gateway Transit Center in Portland which is accessible by bike, bus, light rail and of course cars. Hikers are asked to share in the cost of the ride and most gladly do. I have rarely left the transit center without a full vehicle of hikers and some of our hikers don’t even own a car. It’s also a great way for people to meet other like-minded hikers.
Sungsu
Paul,You are absolutely right about exposing children to nature and the outdoors. People need to experience the wilderness where the animals and vegetation are the “residents” and humans are the “visitors.”