Recently, I took a trip with a friend (both of us in solo boats) down a remote roadless stretch of river that seems to have escaped the attention of those who write guidebooks and Internet trip reports. We were able to find almost zero details about the river prior to the trip, other than flow data and what can be seen on Google Earth.
What we found was a nice surprise, not foretold by any of the little information we were able to glean from locals. We couldn't believe that there was so little known about this stretch of river, given especially how much of it was fun class 2+ with striking views.
It's tempting to go tell others about it, but we have agreed at this point to keep it to ourselves. Not out of selfishness (well, maybe a little
), but more out of a desire to protect it.
But is that protection by obscurity real? Possibly not. As long as the area has no great economic value, I think obscurity may be enough. But what if that situation changes?
What would you do?
What we found was a nice surprise, not foretold by any of the little information we were able to glean from locals. We couldn't believe that there was so little known about this stretch of river, given especially how much of it was fun class 2+ with striking views.
It's tempting to go tell others about it, but we have agreed at this point to keep it to ourselves. Not out of selfishness (well, maybe a little

But is that protection by obscurity real? Possibly not. As long as the area has no great economic value, I think obscurity may be enough. But what if that situation changes?
What would you do?