ikr it's a free country

if you cause yourself damage through some drug that's on you right?

The public at large is the victim.

There is poison hemlock in QA, Interbay, and Magnolia for sure.

There are cougars and black bears, depending on where you hike. They usually turn tale and run if they see you.

Mostly I would be worried that you got hurt and nobody knew where to find you. When I was in college a guy broke his leg badly mountain biking not far from the college. Then died of hyperthermia over the night. He wasn't far from the dorms.

Bring a little backpack with a couple emergency blankets and a heavy sweatshirt.

Same.

During a meeting with a Catholic children's charity, Pope Francis said that he felt “compelled to personally take on all the evil” perpetrated by some priests, because “you cannot interfere with children.”

Pope says so. No tolerance. Good Catholics listen to the pope.

In Olympia at least there are signs in some parks saying to stay on the trail because of poison oak

I’ve seen it but only rarely. There’s a patch in Seaward Park in Seattle.

I've lived in Western Washington for 60 years much of it outdoors throughout the Cascades and Olympics and I've never run into.

I'm not saying it's not here, that's just my own experience for what it's worth

[removed]

[removed]

[removed]

Your view isn't valid because it isn't based in reality. GTFO

[removed]

Eyy I love it when the occasional dipshit pokes thier head out in this sub.

I did things similar to this when I lived in Eastern WA. It's definitely easier over there due to less blackberry thickets that swamps honestly. I would study the area on Google maps first then just go park somewhere near and go. Had my dog with me, sometimes walking game trails, sometimes just meandering but I always knew where I was and how to get back. Your phones GPS even without signal (if you download the maps) is pretty damn accurate at tracking you even in the middle of the woods miles gone from cell service. Certainly don't depend on it unless you're confident in your abilities. I never relied on it. I rarely actually used it other than to mark waypoints of cool stuff.

Always at least tell somebody where you're gonna start and when to call it in if you don't show back up.

I am Catholic. I am disgusted at how the church hierarchy has handled sexual child abuse in the past. The church now has its own mandatory reporting protocol, and I favor mandatory reporting for everyone as a general rule. However, the issue of privilege is complex. Washington has a clergy penitent privilege, a spousal communication privilege, an attorney client privilege, and a doctor patient privilege. If a sexual child abuser sees a psychiatrist for help, should the psychiatrist be required to report communications made in the course of treatment? If so, no one will be seeking help. The clergy penitent privilege normally requires the communication to be made in the course of a formal confession recognized as a religious practice, and not a casual conversation. In the Catholic Church confession is a formal ritualized sacrament in which the priest may not reveal the communication to anyone. The penitent is anonymous at their discretion. I doubt that priests will be reporting such communications regardless of the law due to inability and obligation of confidentiality. And in most cases, they won’t even know who is making the statement given the anonymous nature of confession. So elimination of the privilege will, at most, discourage abusers from talking about their compulsion. I don’t see a net benefit in eliminating the privilege. Moreover, what about the other privileges? Lawyers reporting on their clients? Psychiatrists? I think the complexities of the issue are lost in the offhand derogatory comments about the Catholic Church. Of course, no privilege exists if the reports are made by third parties such as parents or pediatricians, or victims. Please note that I am as pissed as anyone about how stupidly and wrongly the church hierarchy handled reports as everyone else making comments. It would take me 10 pages to discuss the failures of the church. But the comments, in general, are superficial and the article is not accurate. This issue deserves better reporting.

TL,DR: In the Catholic Church confession is anonymous. But we can make lawyers report on their clients.

You might bring some guide books with you to see if you can get to know some of the plants, fungi, birds, etc. I’m a plant person and would recommend “Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast” by Pojar & MacKinnon. I love to take plant pics on my phone and ID them back at home or camp. :)

It’s way past time to seize all assets of the Catholic Church in America and expel all clergy from the country

TAX THE CHURCHES

Just another tax. Pay more, get nothing for it.

Big pharma is the victim, duh

Ought to cross post in not the onion

You'll probably be fine if you have a little common sense and are sturdy on your feet. I work out in the woods nearly every day and am by myself more often than not.

Keep a first aid kit in your car or on you if it's not too cumbersome and let someone know roughly where you're going if possible.

As for wildlife, I really wouldn't worry too much

>All crimes have a victim.

No, they don't. This should be true, but there are loads of victimless crimes people get arrested and imprisoned for. Things like possession of a controlled substance.

[removed]