Intro

One of the biggest debates regarding outdoor recreation in this digital age, is the fine line between sharing helpful information and inviting the potential destruction of natural wonders. On one hand, the internet is unquestionably the primary source of research and study, and there’s an implicit responsibility to contribute to the overall wealth of online knowledge. On the other hand, we’ve seen many amazing obscure campgrounds and hiking trails get absolutely trashed by irresponsible campers.

Morally, I discourage ‘gate-keeping’. Everybody has to start somewhere, and the barring of newcomers by veterans has always rubbed me the wrong way. Yet it’s only natural for veterans to desire ‘screening’ newcomers to ensure responsible recreation on sensitive lands. Covid saw the renewal in exploring our State Parks, National Parks, and Public Lands, and it’s been an absolute joy watching people really enjoy what nature has to offer. It only takes a few bad apples, though, to ruin it for everyone else. Seeing some of your favorite sites covered with trash, toilet paper, feces, graffiti, etc. is gut-wrenching.

I have personally yet to resolve this dilemma, and despite the excitement to share my years’ worth of outdoor adventures, I find myself apprehensive in even writing this intro. Even before the founding of DOS, we have been introducing and guiding newcomers to responsible exploration by word-of-mouth. Guiding being the key word, as our goal is to foster self-study and research.

After long consideration, we have decided to start an informational blog under DOS with the same principles of guiding. This means we probably won’t ever give out specific coordinates, but we will give pointers and clues. We will also provide articles that showcase how we find, research, and site plan our primitive campsites.

Stay tuned for some fun articles, thanks for reading!