Don’t Do This at Hanging Lake

If you don’t know why you can’t walk on the log at Hanging Lake – here’s why. SPOILER ALERT: It’s the sensitivity of the lake’s ecosystem.

A while ago we wrote about the polite sign at Hanging Lake. It simply reads, “Please Keep Off The Log.” The thing is some people don’t do what the sign says. We mentioned in that last blog post we liked the idea of public shaming. We need to #SaveHangingLake.

Aspen Trail Finder is active on social media, particularly Instagram. It’s an amazing social tool that can instantly transport you to some of the most beautiful places with a simple picture. And it’s a perfect place to share your epic adventure with a million of your closest friends. We love to see where people go and the pictures they take along their adventure. We like a lot of photos, #sorrynotsorry.

But, back to this log thing, there are a lot of pics of it too on Instagram. Yeah, because people are walking on the log. So, they aren’t reading the sign. Except, they ARE reading the sign. Because these are some of the captions with those pics:

“Keep off the log my ass, this is gonna be a cool picture.”
“Never liked signs telling me I couldn’t do things.”
“Nobody tells me how to live my life.”

You can be mad at those people, but even Outside Magazine published a photo of a barefoot guy walking across the log. And that is just calling out a small few. The photos are cool. Seriously. They look really cool. Walking on a log in the middle of a pristine lake on top of a mountain IS cool. It’s just not allowed. And those pics are sending the wrong message about what is allowed at this place Huffington Post included in The West’s 9 Most Spectacular Waterfall Hikes.

Maybe the sign looks too much like a dare. Like, “Please Keep Off The Log, if you aren’t a badass.” Maybe a sign that has a reason why you shouldn’t walk on the log would deter more people. Something like, “Touch the water and slowly kill this beautiful thing. You’re destroying Hanging Lake. This is a fragile ecosystem.” But, people are trying to protect this place. This Facebook group is apparently trying to do just that (www.facebook.com/savehanginglake). My mother would say, “If everyone did it, would that make the world a better place?”

Most people are on vacation and just out for a fun hike. If you see someone taking a photo on the log, you don’t have to think, well, if they’re going to do it then I’ll do it too. Not too many people are looking to confront someone they see doing something that looks amazing, that they too want to do. It’s not about getting into an argument, or starting a fight trying to preserve this beauty. Don’t go riot and start burning cars in the parking lot for the sake of the log. Luckily, most people can’t wait to share their pics of them breaking the rules. Which might be rough if you have a PUBLIC Instagram account (as everyone listed below does, or did).

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