The Canyonlands Lesson: Why We Need to Stop Following and Start Thinking

We live in the Golden Age of the "Influencer."

Scroll through your feed for five minutes, and you’ll see it: the same stunning mountaintop pose, the same "hidden gem" waterfall, and the same itineraries being shared over and over again.

At All Ways Adventure, we aren't blind to this. In fact, in many ways, we are influencers too. We share our journeys, we highlight epic destinations, and yes, we proudly work with content creators to share the spirit of adventure with the world.

But there is a massive difference between finding inspiration and following instructions blindly.

We love our community, but we never want you to be "sheeple." We want you to be explorers. And recently, I had a personal experience that highlighted exactly why we need to distinguish between Information and Influence.

The "Perfect" Route vs. Reality

I was recently on a personal trip deep in Canyonlands National Park. My team and I had found a route on a blog that looked incredible. It was aggressive, sure, but the photos were stunning, and the narrative was compelling.

We were sold. We packed up and headed out.

On the second day on the trail, we started to realize something strange. There was a team in front of us performing the exact same route. On our last night, another group came in behind us, also following the exact same itinerary.

It was jarring to realize that we were just one part of a stream of people who had all been influenced by a single blog post. We had walked into a digital echo chamber that had manifested in the real world.

The Pivot

Ultimately, we looked at our team, our gear, and the sun dipping low in the sky. We deemed the route too aggressive for our current reality. While we agreed we’d love to tackle it someday, a successful and safe attempt would require lighter gear, higher fitness levels, and more hours of daylight than we had right now.

This was the moment of truth.

We could have let Influence drive us ("The blog said we should do this, so we have to push through"). Instead, we used Information and critical thinking. We admitted the aggressive itinerary was over our heads.

We modified the route on the fly. We ended up camping in a nearby valley that wasn't on the "must-do" list.

The Reward of Thinking for Yourself

Because we stepped off the "influenced" path, we found time to wander. We searched for and discovered several archaeological sites that we never would have had time to see if we had stuck to the original plan.

Instead of hiking in the dark, running out of water, and being miserable (the likely outcome of the original plan), our evenings were filled with giggles and obnoxious renditions of the 1971 song "Brand New Key."

We traded "making it happen" for "making a memory."

Information vs. Influence

To be a capable adventurer, you have to master the art of Critical Thinking. This is simply the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue to form your own judgment.

Algorithms are designed to strengthen one-directional narratives. If everyone reads the same viral post, everyone goes to the same spot, regardless of whether their skill level or conditions match the influencer's experience.

• Influence says: "This is the route everyone is doing. If you don't finish it, you failed."
• Information says: Look at the topo maps. Look at your water supply. Look at your team's energy levels.

When we stop analyzing and start just accepting, we lose our common sense. We lose the ability to pivot.

Don't Just Follow the Herd

We strongly encourage our guests—and ourselves—to audit the information we consume.

When you are out in the wild with All Ways Adventure, or on your own personal trips, trust your gut.