Etiquette Versus Intention by Sarah Tilt

This article was first shared in a One Montana Newsletter on June 14, 2023.

I want to share a personal story that I hope will serve as a reminder for all of us as we hit the trails this summer and help everyone to be respectful of the different reasons we come to the trail, and of our public resources.
 
On the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, I took my three dogs and went for a walk on some state land near my home. I have a 6-month-old puppy, Izzy, so I am careful about the places I take her to walk. She has never met a person or a dog she doesn’t want to say hello to and is exuberant. I avoid popular places like Peets Hill (although she has been there a couple of times). And I know that in the first five minutes of our walk she may not mind me as she should.
 
I arrived at the parking lot and was surprised by the number of cars and considered leaving. A few minutes into our walk I noticed a woman heading down the trail with a small dog on a leash. I leaned down to pick up poop from one of my other dogs and saw Izzy running straight for her. I attempted to call Izzy back, but I had been negligent and left it too late. Izzy ran straight towards her. The woman picked up her dog. I called out that she was a puppy and wouldn’t hurt her dog and moved up the trail more quickly to get a hold of Izzy. The woman began yelling at me to get my dog under control. With Izzy firmly in control, I apologized but she continued to yell. I was in the wrong. There is no question I should have had better control over Izzy. And I don’t know if the woman was scared, thought Izzy would hurt her dog, or had other concerns. The woman continued to yell at me as she walked down the trail. No amount of “I am sorry” was going to help.

We each came to the same shared space with different intentions for our hikes. Without meaning to I very likely ruined her walk, or perhaps her day.
 
I continued my hike but veered in a different direction to avoid further run ins. I spent my entire walk feeling badly and thinking about the different reasons we come to our trails. I choose to go to state land because there are few places I can go with three dogs and let them run. These runs also serve as training opportunities. My puppy runs with a “check cord” which is part of her training (and could also be one of the reasons the woman was so upset because it can tangle around paws and feet of other humans and dogs).
 
I also have the proper license to use state lands. Unfortunately, I suspect that most people on the trail that day, and most days, do not have the required State Land Recreation License either through ignorance or disregard despite posted signage.
 
When the state of Montana was established in 1889, the Federal Government granted 5.2 million acres to the state to generate funding for schools and other public institutions. These lands are leased for grazing, farming, and logging to generate income. Most of these state lands are open for recreational access, including hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, skiing, and horseback riding among other activities.
 
That Saturday I saw runners, bikers, hikers, equestrians, and even some folks heading out to practice archery. Living in Montana we are so lucky to have a tremendous amount of public access and vast, beautiful places to recreate. We cannot take this access or our state lands for granted.
 
What is not widely understood is that a license is needed to use state lands. Hunters, anglers and trappers purchase a Montana Conservation License with their hunting or fishing license which includes a fee that provides them with legal access to state lands for fishing, hunting and trapping. Other recreational activities such as hiking, biking, and horseback riding require the purchase of a State Land Recreation Use License. Camping, gathering or cutting wood and other collection activities require additional permits.
 
We should care about and respect these open places. Having the legal license is the right thing to do and it supports our public education and our land and water resources.
 
My behavior and my dogs were not up to par that morning, a reminder not to be smug. In addition, it is becoming more and more abundantly clear we all need to be responsible for knowing etiquette, and the rules and regulations of where you are recreating. And we need to remember all of us may be enjoying our public spaces in different ways.

Remember to be Outside Kind this summer and be kind to each other and the land.