Holding Branches

[Tom Rankin]

The 'whacking and not taking one in the eye' thread mentions not holding branches for hikers following you. This made me think about the 'etiquette' involved when in a group and there are branches across the trail.

What do people do? Do you hold or not hold? Should the person behind you watch out for themself? Or should you make sure they are not injured by your actions. Part of this is how closely you follow the person in front of you. I know I tend to get close to people, so I have to be careful about this.

One thing I find helps is pushing the branch down rather than forward, although this can not always be done, depending on the size of the branch.

Note: Poll refers to on-trail hiking.

 

[Hillwalker]

Survey

Hey Tom, why don't you post this as a survey. I would be interested in the responses although I'd be willing to bet that most people will claim to be holders.

 

[Jay H]

I know if there is a long train of people and an obvious branch hazzard to the person behind me, I will pre push the branch so that it'll snap forward (toward's my back) rather than back towards the hiker behind me's front. Usually only works for the stray branch or two, not in the brambles in which it is every hiker for him/herself.

I will also sometimes call out branch to make it obvious there is a branch hazzard...

Jay

 

[dr_wu002]

As much as I want to, I try not to hold branches for my hiking partners and I don't want them to hold them for me. For the most part we're responsible for ourselves. The branches tend to whip and also, one time you might expect them to hold it for you and a branch gets you in the face.

There are of course exceptions to the rule.

-Dr. Wu

 

[Tom Rankin]

Hey Tom, why don't you post this as a survey. I would be interested in the responses although I'd be willing to bet that most people will claim to be holders.

Done! I thought about that, but I just figured the most popular result would be 'it depends'. We'll see!

 

[forty8]

Usually, I try to avoid walking through branches that are apt to whip. When I can't avoid it, I'll hold 'em. Of course.

 

[dr_wu002]

You should also specify if this is for a trail or for 'whacking. You simply can't hold all the twigs and branches when you're whacking because you'd never get anywhere because that's all there is -- it would be like breathing for someone!!

On the trail, if it's wide open and then there's a blowdown and you hold a branch for your friend, so be it. But usually I don't. Not to be a jerk because I'd do anything (almost) for my hiking partners but it's almost redundant to hold branches.

-Dr. Wu

 

[forty8]

About 'whackin, if you're practicing good LNT, you're really not travelling in a straight line because you won't want to create a trail where there wasn't one, and so there's no one behind you to hold branches for.

 

[sli74]

On a trail, I hold branches or at the very least, call out "watch out" or "branch coming at you" as I push it out of the way for myself, but on an established trail, I do hold branches.

That being said, I don't assume someone is going to hold a branch for me and look out for myself since you can't guess what someone ahead of you is going to do unless you hike with them often and they are consistent.

sli74

 

[Tom Rankin]

You should also specify if this is for a trail or for 'whacking. You simply can't hold all the twigs and branches when you're whacking because you'd never get anywhere because that's all there is -- it would be like breathing for someone!!

I was referring to on-trail...

 

[Nessmuk]

As much as I want to, I try not to hold branches for my hiking partners and I don't want them to hold them for me. For the most part we're responsible for ourselves. The branches tend to whip and also, one time you might expect them to hold it for you and a branch gets you in the face.

I agree. The etiquette part applies just as much to the following hiker as it does to the one ahead. You have one of two choices, either follow closer than 3 feet so that a pushed aside branch by the lead's body stays pushed aside without need to hold it, or to stay back 6 feet or more and not worry about it. The latter is certainly preferable. I don't know why there is a natural tendency to follow in the whip zone. Just don't do it, stay far enough back and enjoy the hike for yourself.

Remember, if you are not the lead dog, the view is always the same.

 

[spencer]

Upon first inspection, this is one of those topics that shouldn't have to be discussed but in reality, it comes up a lot. I thought I'd refuse to vote b/c it's such a stupid topic but actually, I too am interested in what the [egg] masses have to say.

When I was a kid, I learned to be polite and therefore one should hold the branch for the next person.

Then in practive I learned that holding the branch led to much more confusion and inefficient walking through the woods and that it's better to let it go and have folks learn to space themselves apart accordingly.

For work, I spend a lot of time walking through the woods and almost never hold branches for people.

While skiing in BSP in February, Joanna and I were out and she got mad at me b/c I let something snap back at her. She got a smallish welt.

I told her what I just relayed above, but that didn't get me out of the temporary doghouse. I like to think logic always prevails, but as I approach our wedding, I'm learning otherwise.

spencer

 

[kmac]

For the most part I will hold or verbally warn the person behind me that there maybe a snapping branch, for me I try to stay far enough away to avoid the branch snapping : )
kmac

 

[erugs]

Usually, my group of friends will just call out to each other "branch," but if I've slowed my pace and am being "tailgated" I'll hold a branch for whoever is following me. As others have suggested it helps to hold the branch down rather than forward, which whips back. I've been "whipped" but try not to whimper, especially if I've been walking too close.

 

[cbcbd]

I voted it depends because most times I'm hiking alone or with the girlfriend.

If I'm alone then there's no one directly behind me - let 'em fly!

If I'm with the GF she complains that I don't hold branches or won't tell her about a branch so I try to make an effort for her whiny butt and hold the branches like a compliant gentleman.

As much as I want to, I try not to hold branches for my hiking partners and I don't want them to hold them for me. For the most part we're responsible for ourselves. The branches tend to whip and also, one time you might expect them to hold it for you and a branch gets you in the face.

But as a general rule I agree with wu. Take care of yourself, you won't always have someone holding a branch for you (on the trail and in life ) - don't hold for me, I can take care of myself and am smart enough to see a hiker in front of me winding up a branch - just like I'm self-sufficient enough to spot rocks and roots on the trail, eliminating the need for the lead hiker to keep yelling "rock. root. whoa, rock! root, root, squirrel..."

 

[jbrown]

When I was young and just starting out hiking with my uncles and cousins, we were taught to call out "snap-back!" when pushing through branches. Over the intervening years, my hiking style has drastically changed and my expectations of my hiking partners has followed suit.
If I've got inexperienced guys in the group, I try to teach them to space themselves apart somewhat to minimize the potential for injury.
I don't expect anyone to hold branches for me and I generally don't hold them for anyone except my wife who is not out there that much with me anyway.

 

[Tom Rankin]

If I'm with the GF she complains that I don't hold branches or won't tell her about a branch so I try to make an effort for her whiny butt and hold the branches like a compliant gentleman.

LOL, I wish I could send this post to her!

 

[cbcbd]

Oh yeah, another comment:

Once you get whipped by a branch you won't forget the pain of a whip to the face - from that point on you will make sure to leave room between you and the other guy - we're all little pavlov dogs

So I say, snap those branches, let the people learn

 

[the starchild]

As much as I want to, I try not to hold branches for my hiking partners and I don't want them to hold them for me. For the most part we're responsible for ourselves. The branches tend to whip and also, one time you might expect them to hold it for you and a branch gets you in the face.

There are of course exceptions to the rule.

-Dr. Wu

what he said...exactly!

if i can step down on something and hold it safely for people to pass, i do. i don't think its rude or friendly to hold or not hold, its about safety and the reality of what usually happens.

 

[erugs]

If I'm with the GF she complains that I don't hold branches or won't tell her about a branch so I try to make an effort for her whiny butt and hold the branches like a compliant gentleman."

What does that mean? Sorry, but your comment makes me wonder about why you'd want her as a GF? Or, more importantly, why she'd want you for a BF. What a thing to say, even in jest!