Sometimes, it doesn’t take a whole lot of effort to do something for a stranger, and when that something is moving your mass a few feet in either direction to allow someone else to share access to something that everyone there specifically came to see… you’re socially expected to do so. No one owns a public space or viewpoint of desirable scenery—that’s kind of the point—and while they don’t have an expressed claim to that location at that given time, neither do you have the right to block it for an extended period of time while you enjoy the picnic equivalent of a four-course meal.
Sharing desirable viewpoints is one of the unspoken rules of social behavior when it comes to hiking and enjoying the scenery and the outdoors, and someone who occupies that space for too long, preventing others from using it, brings the same kind of main character energy that influencers bring when they take up public space for their impromptu recording sessions.
When this hiker shared their story, explaining in detail the events that unfolded between themselves and another hiker, they were met with an unexpected reaction from readers. The hiker posted to Reddit’s r/AmItheA**hole subreddit, where community members share their stories to get other community members to weigh in on whether they were wrong in the events that unfolded. If community members vote “YTA” this means that the poster was in the wrong, while votes for “NTA” means that the poster was not in the wrong, and “ESH” means that everyone involved was responsible for the disagreement as it unfolded.
The hiker explained that one of their hobbies is to go hiking for the singular purpose of packing in “a very large meal,” which they consume somewhere on the trail. Certainly, this person isn’t worried about packed weight as they also bring a blanket with them for their “hour-long” meal. This would be all well and good if they didn’t, by their own account, enjoy doing this at prime viewpoints where other hikers might seek to take in the views.
On this particular excursion, they were five minutes into the planned hour of their meal when a photographer approached them and asked if they would be able to move for a couple’s proposal. The couple had arranged to have the photographer capture their moment, which they planned to take place exactly where they were sitting.
The hiker repeatedly refused to move, and the situation escalated, leading to a sidelining of the proposal and forcing it to take place at a less ideal spot. Of course, in telling this series of events, the hiker thought they had done nothing wrong, expecting readers to side with their feelings on what had taken place. However, readers resoundingly put the hiker in their place for their behavior.
Read on to see their account of events and the responses and decide for yourself who was in the wrong.
