>>2060046I'm not offended by the picture and am probably a a tiny bit less people-phobic than the typical poster on this Chinese cartoon forum but I definitely find "lines" in a wilderness area to be unappealing as a rule. I've done popular weekend hikes with a good-sized group of friends (eg Mount Washington in the White Mountains), where the summit basically feels like a crowded Ski Lodge without the snow gear. It's fun, good exercise, and get to say I've done it, and there are some great views (including the tight asses in yoga pants) but it's not the kind of experience that really motivates me. As a rule I much prefer to hike less popular summits during low-traffic and really enjoy the feeling of freedom that comes from being away from crowds of people. I don't even mind semi-crowded trails where you see 1-2 small parties coming the other way every hour and maybe over take a couple of groups on your way, but having to "stand in line" anywhere would ruin the feel for sure
Anyway the reason why I'm not offended by the picture is that at least in my experience, it seems like this kind of thing happens only at famous and super-popular destinations, and even then sometimes only on weekends and holidays. I've done the very popular Lafayette Loop in Franconia Notch and walked the whole ridge without seeing a soul just by aiming to get above the treeline by mid-afternoon on a weekday (this was ~5 years ago though).
