Got told my 3 day loop through the Wind River Range was 'too short to count' by a guy at a trailhead
Last week I finished a 28 mile loop out of the Big Sandy trailhead in Wyoming and some guy in the parking lot saw my pack and asked how many nights. I said two, and he literally said 'that's just a long day hike for real backpackers.' Here's the thing, I saw more on that route than I did on a 9 day trip I did a few summers back, because I actually had time to sit at the lakes and fish instead of rushing to make miles before dark. This idea that a route only matters if it eats a whole week of your life is weird gatekeeping. Who else has caught flak for doing shorter routes on purpose?