I have no idea who the Hiking Dude is, but his site full of hiking tips is practical, though pretty basic. He does have a nice page of trail etiquette guidelines. Among them:
Hikers going uphill are working hard and should be given the right of way over hikers coming downhill. Sometimes uphill hikers will prefer to stop and let you pass coming down so they can get a short break. The uphill hiker should get to make the call.
His page includes that sign we see on the trails instructing bikers to yield to hikers. Has anybody ever seen this happen? I step out of bikers’ way, figuring the karma generated by such acts of goodwill will be repaid by bikers failing to annoy me the way they seem to bug so many other hikers out there. Granted, I’ve only got a few years under my feet to go on but so far my record is perfect.
(Many more “great outdoor dudes” at this page, which makes me wonder, where are the dudettes? )
Hiking Dude certainly offers some great basic trail etiquette. When it comes to faster hikers overtaking slower ones, one thing he doesn’t mention is that when you’re being overtaken on a narrow trail, the faster hiker should say “on your left”, certainly, but the slower hiker should stop and let the faster hiker pass.
I nearly saw three accidents in one stretch of trail because of this issue on Mt. Tamalpais’ Cataract Trail recently – a whole group of slower hikers descending but not letting anybody pass.
As for the dudettes? Instead of blogging, they’re out on the trail with me.