you think that all of this is not explained very clearly 1,000,000 times over what my role is - i have no corner of the website where it is not in plain English.

i am not complaining about a bunch of people with different ways of leArning. i am talking about a disturbing trend of people who expect things that are nowhere on the menu at all, and do not take any form of correction. the notion that the rules or the weather have nothing to do with them is nothing short of delusional. they understand my philosophy just fine. it just has nothing to do with them. That''s the way they act - they don't argue, just go their way and don't bring the bear can anyway. Then you're stuck camping next to someone just asking for trouble, and my name's on the group permit so it's my problem.

There are many members of the group who find it just as baffling as I do, who understand exactly what I am about and the nature of the group. These people are not just showing up in our group, but everywhere. You can find them on the forums planning ridiculous trips, not caring whether they can even do the trip physically or what the conditions are. The upswing of willful cluelessness leads to trips that no one in the group enjoys. This is a recent thing - previous years, my group has gone pretty well with an occasional square peg who ends up doing okay, suffering a little for his choice and not going backpacking again. Not only have some of the recent newbies come back for more, they expect to go on harder trips and suffer more.

I say "do not throw plastic in the fire." They throw it in. I pick it out. They pick it up and toss it back in! There is no reason for this behavior, but there it is. You tell the person it is winter, and you will be postholing in bad snow for miles, better to wait. They ask about shuttle options! I have always known rational people are in short supply. It's almost an epidemic, apparently - this wave of folks who can't understand we are not just merely disagreeing with them, we have actual reasons for trying to dissuade them from risking their lives or ruining the group experience with their suffering.

It's not just me. Meetup groups fail around me all the time. Organizers just aren't equipped to handle the influx of strange and rude. I guess it's a good thing I am a therapist. But it doesn't help me with the people who appear to be communicating well in plain English then just willfully do whatever they please. We had a lady who would join a day hike and announce she would meet the group at some spot or another, rather than actually coming to the trailhead and hiking with the group. She got so frustrated that nothing went her way - why do people not show up at that spot when she was there???? - that she fixed the problem by leaving the group.

I've had the same issue with an experienced backpacker who came along - he did in fact have it all together and ultralight to boot - however, when we failed to do the trip he had in his head, which clearly differed from the one I described very well and adhered to, he took off on his own up the trail. Well, fine. See you never. However - I was not concerned for him the way I am for the determined noobs who crash, fail, and continue to crash.

I do have the sense to step away from the problem and not own it. It's not my problem that they are determined to be dense. The drama and the pressure from other members who don't understand why I don't want that friendly, wonderful person along is more my issue from a practical perspective.