I finally stopped skipping the boring road walk sections after a guy in Hot Springs called them "the real trail"

Sage Palmer · 2026-09-26T08:50:04.916446+00:00

I used to plan every route around avoiding road walks. If a section had more than a mile of pavement or gravel, I'd reroute, hitch, or just skip it entirely. Last spring on a shuttle near Hot Springs, a guy about 70 with a beat up pack told me the road walks were his favorite part. I kind of laughed, but he said you see people's gardens, you get water from a hose by a porch, you learn where you are in a way the woods don't teach you. Two days later I had an 8 mile road section I couldn't avoid, so I just walked it. A lady outside a farm stand handed me a tomato. A dog followed me for a mile. I passed a church with a hand painted sign about pie night. Now I plan routes differently and I'll take the road option if it connects places instead of just grinding out another ridge. Anyone else changed how they pick a route because of one random comment from a stranger?

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I finally stopped skipping the boring road walk sections after a guy in Hot Springs called them "the real trail" | Backpacking Routes - Talk Freely