Yet another good reason to keep the IPhone buried in my pack while hiking.

[fredmugs]

If you don't like it you can put on your pack and hike away from whatever is annoying you. Seriously, what is with all the complaining on these boards about how others enjoy their time outside? If that person is disturbing the sleep of a shelter with their electronic device, that's one thing that is a legitimate complaint. But if they're minding their own business, using headphones, and not keeping people awake, then **** and hike your own hike like they are.

Some people like to go for a stroll. Others like to go for a troll.

[wornoutboots]

For those with many many miles under there tread, there's been a long standing Obvious Unwritten Rule, You NEVER pull out & use a cell phone within earshot of any others at camp. It's Really that simple.

[Odd Man Out]

I'm old school. When I need a new phone, I go to the phone store and ask for one that can make phone calls. That gets some confused looks.

[Rasty]

I'm old school. When I need a new phone, I go to the phone store and ask for one that can make phone calls. That gets some confused looks.

Do they offer you a JitterBug?

[A.T.Lt]

Im a Jets fan...the last thing I want is the score to ruin my day.

[ChinMusic]

Speaking of football, I watched my local HS football team live via wifi the last three Fridays. Stratton, Monson, and Millinocket ME.

On a thru you can set your own itinerary. HYOH at its best.

[trainhopper]

So if I am the first to arrive at a shelter and lay my stuff everywhere it is alright to for me tell people to move on because I was there first? Sorry, you are in a community space and respect does not matter if it is day or night. If someone politely asked you at noon to put in earphones to listen to the game I don't think the "I was here first" response would go over well. Just because you are first in no way shape or form give you more say.

Read what I said. I would not be looking for a confrontation if someone made a reasonable request. However, if you came in with a bad attitude saying something like "your radio defeats the purpose of hiking, your not out here for the right reason", or anything to that regard I would take a different approach. I would tell them I am not making them stay so feel free to move on if you don't like the radio. I am a very easy person to get along with. But people who come in thinking their way is the only way pisses me off. So I would stand my grounds on the basis that I was there first.

And you can't say being first doesn't give you some rights. If I set up my spot against a wall first, then someone comes in asking for that spot because that is where they always sleep, should I give it up or flip for it? If I am at a shelter that has a fire pit and someone comes in after I get a fire going requesting that I put it out because they can't sleep with a fire, should I put it out? Even though I hiked to this spot just so I could enjoy a fire.

I guess I am just going to have to disagree here. Again, I am a very considerate person and would be respectful to most requests. It just bothers me when people say things like why would anyone do this on a hike it defeats the point. There is plenty of space on the AT where you can avoid cell phones and technology every night if you would like. But to tell someone else using technology they are wrong is just ridiculous.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Better than the Pinto and the exploding gas tank.

The Pinto is one of the ballsiest cars I've ever been in!

...Well it was after my father in law dropped a 351 Cleveland and a hurst 5-speed into it.

[Sarcasm the elf]

For those with many many miles under there tread, there's been a long standing Obvious Unwritten Rule, You NEVER pull out & use a cell phone within earshot of any others at camp. It's Really that simple.

Guilty. I also prefer to drink good wine straight out of the bottle and show up on opening day of trout season with a fly rod and live bait. I have come to accept that I enjoy doing it all wrong.

[ams212001]

I know if I was hiking the trail in the fall I would love to be able to take a break and watch my favorite football team play. I don't see the big deal. You can still go see, smell, and feel anything you want. In fact, watching it on their phone would be a very minimal distraction to others.

If I am the first to arrive at a shelter in the summer you can guarantee that a baseball game will be on my radio for everyone else to hear. If you don't like it you can move on. If I was not the first, I would ask what the others thought of it. If someone objected then I would plug my headphones in and listen to it that way. Usually the only thing stopping me from having a few drinks and listening to a game at night is dead batteries. It is something that I really enjoy after a long day of hiking.

I certainly don't expect others to get the same enjoyment that I get from this. But if you told me that you don't want to be in the same shelter as someone who is wasting their time listening to a baseball game, you would definitely not like what I had to say to you after this. If the case is that you can't be around someone that gets enjoyment out of something you disagree with, you should probably sleep alone every night.

Refer to Trail Etiquette #2, but replace the word music with sports game. I could care less if you want to have electronics. If it helps you and your hike go for it. However, you should already have your headphones in. People shouldn't have to ask to not listen to your game. That is going to cause far less problems than you playing the game for everyone to hear.... Playing your game loudly is going to cause more issues than just avoiding the problem in the first place.

If someone approached you while you were listening to game with your headphones on I would agree that it is their issue not yours.

APPALACHIAN TRAIL ETIQUETTE
On the trail, as in life, good manners go far. Here's how to behave:
1. Don't lecture Give advice only to those who request it of you.
2. Be considerate If you snore, travel with a dog, play music loudly, talk on the phone, go to bed really early, wake up really early, smoke, sleep naked, or dislike being around others, consider tenting rather than sleeping at shelters–you'll be the king of your own castle and you won't see nasty things written about you in shelter logs.
3. Share Never spread out in a shelter to prevent others from using it, and never consume the entire contents of a Trail Angel's cooler by yourself. And remember: There's always room for one more in a shelter during a storm.
4. Protect the water Drink upstream, do everything else downstream. Don't foul the water for your fellow hikers by walking, bathing, or dishwashing at the source of a spring or a stream crossing.
5. Pack it out You're not being altruistic by leaving extra food at a shelter for "someone else." It just invites scavenging animals. Many trail town businesses have "hiker boxes" for this type of sharing.
6. Be grateful Hitches, hostels, angels, and trail maintenance are just some of the supports built into the AT that rely on the generosity of others. You already smell bad–don't make it worse.
8. Respect privacy It's very hard to lose someone while walking 3 mph on a one-foot-wide trail. Don't assume that anyone wants to merge itineraries for the next six months, and if you pick up an unwanted tag-along, don't spend your hike ducking behind logs–just be honest.
9. Don't complain Of course it sucks that your boot soles fell off halfway through Pennsylvania. Look at the bright side: You're not at work! –Peter "Wicked Lobstah" Rives, 2004 AT thru-hiker

Read what I said. I would not be looking for a confrontation if someone made a reasonable request. However, if you came in with a bad attitude saying something like "your radio defeats the purpose of hiking, your not out here for the right reason", or anything to that regard I would take a different approach. I would tell them I am not making them stay so feel free to move on if you don't like the radio. I am a very easy person to get along with. But people who come in thinking their way is the only way pisses me off. So I would stand my grounds on the basis that I was there first.

And you can't say being first doesn't give you some rights. If I set up my spot against a wall first, then someone comes in asking for that spot because that is where they always sleep, should I give it up or flip for it? If I am at a shelter that has a fire pit and someone comes in after I get a fire going requesting that I put it out because they can't sleep with a fire, should I put it out? Even though I hiked to this spot just so I could enjoy a fire.

I guess I am just going to have to disagree here. Again, I am a very considerate person and would be respectful to most requests. It just bothers me when people say things like why would anyone do this on a hike it defeats the point. There is plenty of space on the AT where you can avoid cell phones and technology every night if you would like. But to tell someone else using technology they are wrong is just ridiculous.

There is a huge difference between playing your game loudly and people having to ask you to not play it out loud and getting a spot at a shelter first. You are talking about common activities/expectations at a community shelter vs personal activity. Huge difference.

[kayak karl]

The Pinto is one of the ballsiest cars I've ever been in!

...Well it was after my father in law dropped a 351 Cleveland and a hurst 5-speed into it.

put a 351 windsor in mine. it left a path in a corn field, with a trail of wheels, side-pipes and bumpers behind

[Mags]

After reading all these posts, not sure if I'd want to hike the AT again.

(Though I am longer overdue for a longish-New England hike!. Damn work thing )

[Rasty]

After reading all these posts, not sure if I'd want to hike the AT again.

(Though I am longer overdue for a longish-New England hike!. Damn work thing )

Just hike from October to February.

[marti038]

I went hiking in north GA over Labor Day weekend, but took a radio along to listen to the Bama vs. Va Tech game. Camped out at that spot about a mile north of Woody Gap (I think it's called preacher rock?). There were several people there picnicking and just enjoying the view. I used headphones because I assumed most folks who really cared about the game would be at home watching it. It was a very enjoyable experience, because how often do I get to combine two things I enjoy...college football and hiking?

Anyhow, about 30 minutes into the game this fella comes running up (this looked like his first trail run) and squats next to us to go through his "workout routine". He's doing pilotis and crunches and these awkward arobics that quite honestly made me uncomfortable to have to watch (his shorts and tank top didn't cover enough of his lilly white skin for flopping around on the ground like a fish out of water). It was sort of ruining the moment.

Anywho, my point is if you're considerate of others, then what's the problem with having "modern" stuff? The newness of something doesn't make it offensive, it's usually the person using it. I bet some of the through hikers from the 60s and 70s would toss stones at some of these new-fangled internal frame packs us young bucks are hauling around. Don’t like it? Fine. I’ll still let you borrow my phone if you have an emergency.

[Sarcasm the elf]

After reading all these posts, not sure if I'd want to hike the AT again.

(Though I am longer overdue for a longish-New England hike!. Damn work thing )

Don't be scared off by stuff that you read on Internet forums. Most people that regularly post to these things are full of crap.

[Mags]

Just hike from October to February.

Maybe in November down south, but I'd rather be on SW desert trail in October - early November.

Dec - February is of course prime ski season here. Can't miss that!

[Rasty]

Maybe in November down south, but I'd rather be on SW desert trail in October - early November.

Dec - February is of course prime ski season here. Can't miss that!

Maybe try to fit in the last week of September!

[Mags]

Maybe try to fit in the last week of September!

That would be awesome.

Kicker is, I am going to New England in mid-October. Alas, it is for a family wedding. I have yet to land and my family and friends have already booked all my time!

Don't be scared off by stuff that you read on Internet forums. Most people that regularly post to these things are full of crap.

Myself included!

[AngryGerman]

10K's reading comprehension thread should be required reading before being allowed to post. Well at least you should skim the thread for the highlights as reading the whole thing is way too much effort. http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...ng-to-a-thread

Agreed with the above completely! With that being said, I don't own a cellphone now nor did I have one when on the trail. I personally feel the same way about cells, but it seems our "ways" are becoming a thing of the distant past. If I really needed a cellphone somebody always had one around when on the trail. I really tried to not let the cellphone thing bother my hike and if one was to get a bit annoying with theirs I, in a polite way, asked if they could take it elsewhere. Most folks usually comply peacefully with most not realizing that it is bothersome to others; it's what they are used to.

[hikerboy57]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OINa4...=inp-em-w92-02