Culture on the trail: How not to annoy others (and animals)?

The mountains are for everyone, but not for everything. Sometimes, when walking along a trail, you get the impression that some people have mistaken the Tatras for the promenade in Mielno. Loud music, rubbish stuffed under rocks, blocking the path.

Don’t want to be ‘that bloke’ everyone looks at with pity? Here are a few unwritten (and written) rules that will make you look like a pro, even if you’re heading into the mountains for the first time.

1. ‘Hello’ – to say it or not?

The old school says: say hello to everyone. The new (realistic) school says: it depends where you are.

Kościeliska Valley / Morskie Oko: If you say “Good morning” to every one of the 10,000 people, you’ll lose your voice after a kilometre. Here, we don’t really say hello (unless you know someone).
Above the mountain huts: Here we return to tradition. On Szpiglasowy Wierch or Rysy, where there are fewer people and you’re united by a shared effort – a “Hello” is a nice gesture that builds a sense of community.

2. Who has right of way? (Important!)

On a narrow path where it is difficult to pass each other, the rule is: The person coming up (walking uphill) has right of way. Why? Because it is harder for them to break their stride and start moving again. The person coming down has it easier, so they should give way, step to the side and let the climber pass.

Common sense always takes precedence over ‘right of way’: the person for whom it is safer to stand still or step back should give way, and in exposed areas it is better to wait a moment than to ‘jostle’ for position.
On chains: There is no mercy here. You wait until the chain is free. You do not tug at it when someone is hanging on it!
On very exposed sections (chains, clamps, via ferratas), it is often the practice to let those in the more difficult position go first – usually those descending – but it’s worth simply communicating verbally.

3. Silence, please (Drones and Speakers)

You are in a National Park. It is the animals’ home, not yours.

Bluetooth speakers: They are a nuisance. If you must listen to music, use headphones. Forcing others to listen to your playlist is the height of bad taste.
Drones: They are banned. The buzzing of a drone scares off chamois (which may fall into a ravine) and annoys people. TPN rangers have equipment to track down operators and issue fines of around 1,000 zł. It’s not worth it.

4. The toilet in the bushes

Nature takes its course. If you have to relieve yourself in the wild:

Move well away from the trail (and from any water source!).
Take your toilet paper/tissues with you (in a zip-lock bag).
- Why? Because white ‘flags’ lying in the mountain pine look hideous and take months to decompose. Be hardcore, leave no trace.

5. Stones and cairns

Do you see a pile of stones (a cairn)?

Don’t knock it down: It’s often a landmark for people in the fog.
Don’t build new ones: In the Tatras, the trails are well signposted. Building your own stone “towers” damages the natural landscape and can mislead other hikers (leading them into a ravine).
Don’t throw stones into the ponds. Seriously.

6. Help on the trail

Do you see someone sitting there looking pale, holding their leg or looking lost? Stop and ask. “Are you alright?”, “Do you need some water?”. In the mountains, we’re all in this together. Today you help someone; tomorrow someone might help you with a plaster or a sip of tea. That’s the famous ‘magic of the mountains’ – not the views, but the people.

Let’s treat each other like people, not just ‘tourists’. See you on the trail!