226 Comments
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Rowan V's avatar

Sometimes the woods are the only place where I feel like I don't have to mask my autistic self for the benefit of others, messages like 'Smile' would definitely be jarring in the place I go expressly to avoid that sentiment

I love that people want to be kind and inspire happiness and joy in others but I am definitely one of the curmudgeons that finds this particular version grating haha

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David Farrier's avatar

You and me both, Rowan - you and me both!

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Matt Miller's avatar

The part that’s innately bad about these messages, is that it’s all about the message maker. It is entirely self serving. The hit or miss nature of the message should give a person pause. It doesn’t bother me much, but I very much respect that nature should be untouched. Put the notes in your own yard or a city landscape. Please leave trails and nature entirely alone.

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David Farrier's avatar

Yes, and this is something I think I missed in my piece. I am fairly certain this is all about someone making themselves feel fulfilled and special. Especially when there is a social media account attached encouraging tags. Bang on.

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Meg Gilliland's avatar

"Sometimes the woods are the only place where I feel like I don't have to mask my autistic self for the benefit of others..."

Big mood.

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John DePalma's avatar

Geez, whatever happened to the old saying leave nothing but footprints? Fucking people. Makes me wish I could afford a 500 acre ranch where I would never have to see anyone if I really didn't want to.

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Aimee Vickers's avatar

That's the dream for me too. More nature and animals, less people.

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Kit's avatar
Sep 16Edited

That was never really a thing. Americans love to litter and hate picking up their own trash. A note hanging from a tree and some moved rocks are very, very low environmental impact activities.

I'd say upset would be better used for all the compostables thrown in landfills, advocate for better public transportation or to persuade communities to use grazing sheep instead of lawnmowers.

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David Farrier's avatar

I think it's OK to spread our upset around a little now and then!

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Kit's avatar

Since in another comment you said you'd appreciate negative feedback,

I'm usually very much a "every little things helps" type but this seems very, very minor. It's annoying and an example of toxic positivity, but as things harming the ecosystem go it's a very small blip. It's more likely for a scrub jay to choke on a piece of cigarette or soda bottle top someone inconsiderately littered than have a string wrapped around their neck. That's not even factoring round up into the equation.

Annoying as the little notes may be, I don't think they're doing much to the ecosystem.

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David Farrier's avatar

To be clear I agree that on the grand scale this is very, very, very minor!

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Cindy's avatar

It might not "be a thing" in the US, but definitely is where I have spent 1000s of hours in nature - Aotearoa-NZ where David learned the same thing ⁉️

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Charlotte's avatar

Be a tidy Kiwi! Or as my daughter was taught at school, be kaitiakitanga! A guardian of our environment! That's in big and little ways.

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Kit's avatar

New Zealand certainly has their shit together in many ways Americans can only dream of.

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Joe G.'s avatar

Hanging a piece of paper on a tree is a bit like chopping off someone's finger and using it as an earring.

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David Farrier's avatar

Getting strong Universal Soldier vibes here. Although that was more ears as necklaces, right?

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Joe G.'s avatar

Why not combine them? You can do some disembodied wet willies.

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David Farrier's avatar

Perfect (disgusting!)

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Aimee Vickers's avatar

I have to agree, it's exactly the same. The best you can do is put on those earrings and dance like noone's watching.

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Joe G.'s avatar

Don't dance too fast. People won't be able to read the inspirational message tattooed on the finger.

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A. Michelle's avatar

Oof. What an analogy. I like how your mind works.

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Julia B.'s avatar

I mean, the smiley face and "I see you" is horror-movie-esque and I kind if love that.

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Irene Fluit's avatar

"I see you" has stalker vibes. Probably not the intention but we are bombared with messages everywhere..leave nature be!

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Freya's avatar

I'm not necessarily innately *against* poetry in nature - I think if done in a biodegradeable way (where it will not, for instance, throttle some poor bird to death) it could be a charming, pleasant addition to the landscape. I'm reminded of the poetic sculptures added to Wellington's waterfront, which were beautiful and gorgeous and on a moody midnight walk with few people around did turn your mood around.

But jesus fucking christ, that poetry is trite as fuck. It is gift stall poetry. It is Target poetry. It is Marks & Sparks poetry. It is *searches desperately for a New Zealand equivalent* - fucking FOUR SQUARE poetry. Don't tell me the uniqueness of butterflies or snowflakes - tell me something *about* snowflakes to make me *realize* a quality of uniqueness. Why?

Because I am an *adult* and I know that the defining quality *of* a snowflake, *poetically speaking* is it's uniqueness you *imbecile*!!!!!

*deep breath*

I'm done now.

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David Farrier's avatar

I definitely think there is some LA hipster bleeding into this, too. The whole aesthetic screams a certain subset here. And that is what's maybe grating at me, also.

Plus - I might be wrong! If a sweet 90 year old woman is writing these I am going to feel a little bit of guilt in going off.

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Charlotte's avatar

White Woman's Instagram.

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Irene Fluit's avatar

Pretty sure it won't be a sweet, little old lady...

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Neil's avatar

Freya, all those asterisks remind me of…snowflakes!

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Freya's avatar

Noooooooooo

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BirdiesMum's avatar

Are you trying to make her eyes explode out of her head?! <.<

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Sarah's avatar

Every single one of them identical.

**************************************

************ ************** **********

********* ******* ************ * ***

* *********** ******** *

*

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Julie's avatar

My reaction: a snowflake melts in an instant and a butterfly is briefly pretty then dies, and its only value was that it was pretty.

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Annie Blackwell's avatar

...and pollinated a few wildflowers.

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Kathy Fryer's avatar

Caterpillars

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Freya's avatar

(oh as an aside, if you liked that poetry, that is also fine, I just needed to stomp my foot and yell a bit.)

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Shelley Grace's avatar

Excuse me, that is incredibly insulting to Four Square. These are wonderful places that actually have a soul. Well some of them do. My local certainly has its own charm. Anyway, surely you mean The Warehouse

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Bella Chase's avatar

Or Kmart!

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Aimee Vickers's avatar

Live, laugh, love.

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Joe G.'s avatar

Lose, my, lunch

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Febes62's avatar

Lol a passive aggressive form of YOU WILL smile ...cause I said so!!

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Heather Lindahl's avatar

A rude denial of nature’s innate tendency to provide people with nice days and smiles all by itself with no help from humans and their stupid reliance on Language.

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Brittany's avatar

I feel this way when I’m hiking through the forest and I see those stacked rocks. I took an art class where we created art in nature but it was more about how to create art without leaving your footprint in nature. I think everyone should take that class.

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David Farrier's avatar

OH YES, THE STACKED ROCKS!

I saw a lot of those on walks in the South Island of New Zealand. Really snaps you out of nature.

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oga's avatar

Yeah, I came here to say this. These stacked rocks are supposed to be wayfinders, but generally they are not, and they are dangerous, as they may lead people astray. I think there's a directive to push them over when you find them in national parks (in the USA and New Zealand).

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Brittany's avatar

I am very guilty of knocking them down haha

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Lauren Butler's avatar

YES! there are some hikes in National Parks where the stacked rocks are meant to show the trail... many hikes in Canyonlands National park are this way. So the "random" rock stacks that tourists do to be cute are very dangerous.

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Cindy's avatar

🤔We used cairns (rock stacks) on mountain trails where there was nowhere to put markers or was so little used (i.e. REAL wlderness) that no $$ were spent, OR either side of scree slopes that were so unstable that nothing stayed put. It was a courtesy & safety measure for the next person(s) as to where to aim for /know you are not going to walk off a bluff etc. & also sometimes on either side of a river crossing as a guide. Otherwise, yes we were encouraged to push them over... Just seemed like David said - an ego thing to impose on nature for no good reason 🤷🏻‍♀️

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Matt Miller's avatar

The ones I encountered on Isle Royale were very necessary in certain places. And about as minimal as you could get. So I hope there’s a difference between random and purposeful cairns to you.

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Brittany's avatar

I’m not too sure about the trails in nz but I’ve been on many in America. Most trails are maintained and have trail markers. If you’re on a trail without any, it is for most experienced hikers. For the most part you are highly recommended to stay on trails to preserve the surrounding nature and prevent wildfires etc. a lot of unmarked trails you must have a permit to hike through. Most stacked rocks I see are on maintained trails where they are not needed. But there are other ways to mark the trail then disturbing the surrounding areas.

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Kit's avatar

Or an entire course in permaculturing. What a society we could make.

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RachaelH's avatar

I agree! I hate those stacked rocks.

For anyone reading who does this - please stop! It might be well intentioned, but truly it's better to just appreciate nature and leave it as it is. Besides, things live around and under rocks - leave them be!

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Bella Chase's avatar

I’m sure the stacked rocks must have some biological basis, like the ‘John was here’ in the bathroom, or like dogs pissing on fences…

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Jane A's avatar

“Social media is probably the single most damaging invention of the last 50 years”.

Amen to that.

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Neil's avatar

The early European surveyors in NZ felt your pain, David. There are no fewer than 30 named features with the word "misery" in them, not to mention a Mt Awful, six Mt Horribles and a couple of Mt Difficulties.

Even the pre-European experience soundly rejected this corrosive faux-positivity. It's hard to pay a visit to Tutaekuri River and NOT wonder why it was named after dogshit.

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Christine Melville's avatar

Oh the Tutaekuri story is actually a genuinely heart warming tale of kaitiakitanga and self sacrifice for the good of strangers! I grew up thinking it meant dog shit, but there’s more to that story!

Check page 9. https://www.hbrc.govt.nz/assets/Document-Library/Outstanding-Water-Bodies/web-documents/3-Values-reports/Tutaekuri-River-ID32-Summary-of-Values-Aug-2020-5511.pdf

This council document doesn’t do the whole story justice - but might help a little!

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Neil's avatar

Thanks - fascinating! "Generosity and hospitality for others was upmost" is indeed inspiring. Also it would be nice to think we had made some progress on the disposal of the offal of 70 dogs in a river, but sadly that's not what I see at my local stream.

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Molly Muldoon's avatar

Somewhere there are some seven year olds that made some signs with twigs and didn't realize how much they'd ruined your day ;)

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David Farrier's avatar

If this turns out to be a small, innocent child (with very neat writing) I take it all back!

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Pauline 99's avatar

7 year olds do not write - I see you.......thats adult tripe....

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Suzanne Jansson-Bush's avatar

I agree. I live by the beach; children and teenagers are often creating messages with shells, rocks, twigs, or just writing in the sand.

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Josh Drummond's avatar

I just want to add to this: people might think me too mild on this but I think portable speakers on hiking trails should be punishable by instant death.

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David Farrier's avatar

Yes - a swift push off the pathway into the shrubbery!

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Irene Fluit's avatar

Or a swift push off a cliff!

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Sarah's avatar

💯 why do they do this? Can they not afford headphones?

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Mothy's avatar

Imagine being a cool metal looking tree and you see some dork walk towards you with a little folded note of poetry. NoOooOoOo you treech (tree version of screech, very silent) as loudly as you can. It’s too late though. It’s always too late.

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Kellyaroha's avatar

Hahaha ‘treech’ 😂😂

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Jessica's avatar

No escape from mandatory optimism. Not even the woods!

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David Farrier's avatar

Sometimes I don't want to be optimistic, I want to bask in other emotions (which then empower to go what I need to do!)

Like, I think anger can trump optimism when it comes to getting some shit done!

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Jessica's avatar

Totally agree with you. I always say at work that I’m fueled by rage daily. Haha. When I’m walking in nature I consider myself “neutral” just trying to reset and just be.

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Alicia's avatar

Anyone telling you to smile ☠🤮🔪

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Rach's avatar

Is this the human equivalent of a dog pissing on every tree and lamp post?

I know there was a thing in NZ for a while of people painting wee river stones and leaving them along trails for people to find. I think it was a game for kids, I’m foggy on the details. But recently on the west Auckland Facebook page there was a post stating “I don’t know who did this but you totally have my sense of humour” and it was accompanied by an image of a finger sized smooth stone painted to look like a severed finger. I wonder if the person who did that felt a bit like you feel with all these things interrupting your nature stroll 😜 it tickled my sense of humour anyway while at the time I was very glad I did not happen across it myself!!

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Rebecca F's avatar

I am part of a FB group called Tas Rocks- where people paint rocks and hide them all about the place- if you find one you take a pic and hide it again or place it somewhere else. I find that lovely and found my first one while on a lunchtime walk. That is the way art should be if you want to do it in nature.

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