There isn’t much hiking etiquette to keep track of. Where there are rules, they’re usually meant to preserve the natural spaces we tread through and not to uphold some arbitrary code of conduct. Most all of Spring falls into the unofficial “Mud Season”. The melted snow and Spring showers send a deluge of water down the mountains, creating a river of every trail. The etiquette of Mud Season entails that hikers work hard to prevent the degradation of the fragile grasses and mosses that line trails and avoid fragile paths all together.
The AMC, much like the leave no trace principles, advise that you stick to durable surfaces like rocks and gravel. They ask that you avoid leaving the bounds of the trail as navigating around mud, especially repeated over the course of many hikers, causes further erosion and muddiness.
In mud season you’ll want to choose your hike wisely. Some trail systems may even be closed all together such as the Squam Lakes Trails in order to preserve the trail network so check the status of your intended hike before you leave home. Beyond this, with self preservation in mind, mud can be deep and slippery. Avoid hikes through lowlands, wetlands, and basins.
One major tip for mud season is this: Bring trekking poles. Trekking poles are, above all other times, most useful in mud season. Use these to stick into a precarious looking patch of mud in order to understand how far it goes down. Trekking poles could save you a boot!
Happy Hiking and Cheers to Spring!
Cover Photo Credit to Matt Seymour
The Wild East 