When is thread drifting ok?

I think thread drift is ok when it happens 'organically'.  This may not be a prime example, but when one post fairly comes in response from a prior, it's not conversationally unreasonable and it at least doesn't rise to the level of hijacking..

that's also what happened last month in the long-winded WP thread.  Despite late protestations of the OP, there was no hijack.  A TR morphed, organically, into a good discussion over avy safety.  What's wrong with that?  And, frankly, this was a testament to the OP's  TR construction, leaving, perhaps, several directions it could head - well done, really.

Rain at 8 grand...  lord help us all.

I was thinking the same thing about the thread drift of the WP report.
Everyone has their own take and I used to tip toe around the sanctity of the OP's origional report, but really there is no ownership on a trip report. If you are posting a report and it drifts to something else, well, so be it. I learned a lot from the way the thread drifted that I certainly would have not learned from a simple trail report.
It's like when I stated, that skiing over tracks in the BC was poor etiquette, there was response that made me think of my values and now, I don't really care to hold on to the former value and choose happiness instead.

In my reality, I just don't understand the possessive attitude about a trip report?
Can anybody elaborate, why they feel that a trip report is so sacred?
Just like I was told they are just Castles in the Sand.

Feel free to drift away on whatever my TR or the replies to it may prompt. Be excellent to each other. And PARTY ON, DUDES!

Speaking of trip reports, is it OK to snowshoe on someone else's skin track?

Speaking of trip reports, is it OK to snowshoe on someone else's skin track?

Not only OK, but it is a law of nature; many have been the times when I started out breaking trail with no other car or person in sight, only to look behind me 10 minutes later to see a snowshoer had mysteriously appeared, clump-clumping down my track; I believe the origin of snowshoers my be somewhere in the sintering process of snow crystals pressed together by skis.

Speaking of trip reports, is it OK to snowshoe on someone else's skin track?

almost never, only exception i can accept is if there is a life in the balance and time is crucial...

edit: nice drift kneely