Is “Instagrammable” A Bad Word?

Meeting An Instagrammer
The east side of the Gore Range in Colorado is kind of like a back alley near a popular restaurant — people who know better don’t venture in too deep. That’s why it had been five days since I’d seen another person unless you count the helicopter that flew over my high camp. It buzzed the mountainside for a few hours, apparently on a search-and-rescue mission.

I wasn’t too surprised, however, when I ran into Ryan at one of the lower lakes on my hike out. Unlike most of this side of the Gores, there is a trail here. The first thing that I noticed was that he had a camera around his neck — a “real” one, not a cellphone. The second thing I noticed was that he was a very large man; mostly around his middle. The contents in his daypack would fit in my stuff sack which stays attached to the outside of my main pack.

“Is this the trail?” I asked hopefully. I had just waded across the lake’s outlet stream hoping to find a shortcut back to civilization. He agreed that it was, and we struck up a conversation about his camera. I usually do when I see one since it is becoming increasingly rare to find someone who doesn’t just shoot with their cell phone these days. I mentioned that I was a wilderness photographer and had been out for…