Until September 2024 the documentation for sac_scale mentioned, that when value is hiking, a “Trail well cleared” was to be expected. (See changelog.)
Now, this picture does not show a “Trail well cleared”, at least not in my opinion and that of others that voted in the poll I started. So if tagging to the letter, a trail like that could not get tagged sac_scale=hiking back then. Rather it shows a “Trail with minor obstacles like roots”.
Changing documentation of a tag with tens of thousands of mappings ought to be tested. I started a poll and then another poll in the same topic, to get an idea, how to solve that. Here to the solution I came up with: Grading only goes to the next level, if there is something on the ground, that is specified in the next level. And this picture fails that.
PS: From my observations of what mappers tag, the change in definition brings documentation only up to actual use. Still, I consider the SAC move a smarter move. Maybe openstreetmap can learn from it?
PPS: Openstreetmap now has value “strolling” to tell users, that they do not have to expect “tripping hazard on this unclear terrain”. Nevertheless, consumers beware, if that new value will catch on, hiking might turn into a promise of rooty trails.