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K.Keck
04-13-2015, 20:27
Hey guys/girls,

My name is Kevin and I am new here at WhiteBlaze. I look forward to interacting on this website with fellow AT hikers. Right now I am getting my Masters degree in South Carolina, and for a project to complete my degree I have to study a people group or socio-economic group. So because I am an avid hiker and AT section hiker I decided to do Appalachian trail culture as my people group. I have done some interviews in the past few months on the trail as I have met people willing to answer questions about themselves, but now I am reaching out to you all here at WhiteBlaze for help. I would love it if you all would answers some questions about yourselves and your experiences on the trial for my study of the great culture that exists on the AT. Answer as many or as few questions as you would like and You can reply here or send me a PM. Thanks. Here are the questions.

1. Name or Trail name?
2. How would you classify yourself (weekend warrior, thru hiker, section hiker)?
3. If you have done a thru hike what year?
4. Why do you backpack? or Why do you go on the AT?
5. What are your beliefs about nature?
6. Where did nature come from?
7. Do you see yourself as a spiritual person? why or why not?
8. What is the most important thing in your life?
9. How do you decide what do each day on the trail? (miles, where to sleep, etc.?)
10. What is your definition of truth?
11.What drives you to treat people good or bad?
12. What are moral/values?
13. What relationships are important to you?
14. On the AT, do you develop relationships with other backpackers/thru-hikers? explain?
15. If yes to #14 then, have you developed any deep relationships on trail or do you stay in contact with anyone met on trail?
16. What do you think happens when you die?
17. What is the craziest story you have of hiking the AT?
18. What is the best trail name you ever heard? why?
19. How do you feel about politics, especially in environmental areas?
20. If you could bring only one book on the trail (thats not a guidebook) what book would you bring?
21. What is your average pack weight? (base weight)

I know it is a lot of question and some are really serious, so thanks so much for taking the time to help me get my masters degree and also educate some city slicker professors about the AT. Until next time, happy trails!

KK

Hot Flash
04-14-2015, 09:35
I see a lot of vague handy-wavy woo in there. You studying psychology?


5: Beliefs aren't based in fact. I try to have knowledge rather than beliefs.

6: Do you consider the initial singularity to be "nature"? If not, then that's where everything came from. If so, then science doesn't yet know, and may never know.

7: I'd ask you to define spiritual, but you can't. Nobody can, because it's an argumentum ad ignorantiam used to describe any feeling that certain humans wish to believe come from supernatural origins. Simply put, spirituality is bull*****. If you feel awe and wonder at being outdoors, then it should be called awe and wonder, not "spirituality".

10: Things that can be scientifically, logically, rationally proven to be true.

11: Human nature

12: Morals are a subjective term, something that human beings use to judge the actions of other human beings.

16: Same thing that happened to me before I was born. In other words, nonexistence.

19: Politics is a double-edged sword, in terms of environment.

4eyedbuzzard
04-14-2015, 12:36
Unless this is just at the preliminary research phase, honestly, you have too many questions that I can't imagine could be useful from an analytic standpoint, as they are not focused enough to allow responses to be categorized and then create an useful analysis. Questions 6 through 13, 16, and 19 have little to do with the AT culture specifically, and will lead to 100 different anecdotal responses from 100 participants. And, if you then try to somehow categorize those responses, you will interject your own interpretive and perhaps even confirmation bias as to what the respondent(s) meant (data analysis error).

Better define your objectives and the focus of your study. What's the "elevator pitch" for your study?
Based upon those objectives, formulate specific questions that generate specific responses that can be categorized so that data can later be analyzed.
Check, then double check, the writing/wording of said questions for survey bias.

I'd also comment that while Whiteblaze is an easily accessible group, from a research standpoint it is a small "sample frame" of a much greater AT culture. The majority of hikers and thru-hikers are not active here. Which presents another possible research bias issue if WB becomes a major source of data (sampling frame error).

K.Keck
04-14-2015, 13:48
Hot Flash, thank you for your input and honest answers. I appreciate you taking the time to answer some questions. 2eyedbuzzard, I understand what you are saying, and I defiantly try not to put any of my bias and presuppositions. I am not naive that Whiteblaze is a direct repersentation of everyone who hikes the AT, but I am just trying to pool as much interviews and answers to the questions as I can. I understand that parts of my study might not be the best way to do qualitative research, but part of the class I am in is learning through doing. Thank you for you thoughts and as I do my project I will use what you have said and hopefully input those ideas in. You obviously know more about research than I do, so hopefully I can continue to learn well. As for my focus or objective of the study it is basically just to understand the different worldviews and thought processes of those who share on Whiteblaze and hike the AT. Thanks again.

K.Keck
04-14-2015, 14:03
Just to clarify my intentions in this project. It is to get a very small sample of the variety of worldviews and thought processes of those who hike the AT. What are some of the ways AT hikers view the world and think about the world?

BobTheBuilder
04-14-2015, 14:26
Hi Kevin. I'll bite on some of them in the interest of research.

2. How would you classify yourself (weekend warrior, thru hiker, section hiker)?
Section Hiker
4. Why do you backpack? or Why do you go on the AT?
For a clear sense of accomplishment, and because chicks dig hikers.
5. What are your beliefs about nature?
A great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.
8. What is the most important thing in your life?
I like to travel, but I'm also pretty big on grammar
11.What drives you to treat people good or bad?
I generally treat everyone well and let karma handle the jerks
13. What relationships are important to you?
I like my dog quite a bit because she's a good dog
14. On the AT, do you develop relationships with other backpackers/thru-hikers? explain?
I have made friends with the ones I have hiked with for a couple of days, but I generally hike alone
15. If yes to #14 then, have you developed any deep relationships on trail or do you stay in contact with anyone met on trail?
No
16. What do you think happens when you die?
No idea, but I'm sure I'll find out one of these days
18. What is the best trail name you ever heard? why?
Beerdre. Like Dierdre, with beer (it helps that she was cute)
19. How do you feel about politics, especially in environmental areas?
I believe that politics are based on money and power, and the environmental areas only become important to politics when somebody is getting paid
20. If you could bring only one book on the trail (thats not a guidebook) what book would you bring?
You're missing an apostrophe there, Kevin
21. What is your average pack weight? (base weight)
17-19 pounds, depending on the expected weather during my section hike

4eyedbuzzard
04-14-2015, 15:15
Hot Flash, thank you for your input and honest answers. I appreciate you taking the time to answer some questions. 2eyedbuzzard, I understand what you are saying, and I defiantly try not to put any of my bias and presuppositions. I am not naive that Whiteblaze is a direct representation of everyone who hikes the AT, but I am just trying to pool as much interviews and answers to the questions as I can. I understand that parts of my study might not be the best way to do qualitative research, but part of the class I am in is learning through doing. Thank you for you thoughts and as I do my project I will use what you have said and hopefully input those ideas in. You obviously know more about research than I do, so hopefully I can continue to learn well. As for my focus or objective of the study it is basically just to understand the different worldviews and thought processes of those who share on Whiteblaze and hike the AT. Thanks again.I just think you would be much better served asking Yes/No or multiple choice questions for the later purpose of analysis. I say this because you have to ultimately be able to categorize responses and then sort those responses for correlation and relationships. You need a lot of hard data like age, gender, ethnicity, income, education, religious self-identification, miles hiked, etc. - the rambling opinions on worldview(s) would be impossible to categorize and correlate.

But here goes if it helps you some:
1. Name or Trail name? 4eyedbuzzard
2. How would you classify yourself (weekend warrior, thru hiker, section hiker)? Weekend warrior/section hiker
3. If you have done a thru hike what year? N/A (quit after 450 miles in 1976)
4. Why do you backpack? or Why do you go on the AT? I enjoy getting away from civilization.
5. What are your beliefs about nature? It exists. But what isn't part of nature?
6. Where did nature come from? Perhaps it is simply an inevitable outcome in a cosmos.
7. Do you see yourself as a spiritual person? why or why not? No. I am a natural person, a part of nature, not part of any supernatural realm.
8. What is the most important thing in your life? Family and friends.
9. How do you decide what do each day on the trail? (miles, where to sleep, etc.?) I just walk, but have a rough plan of how far and where I will camp knowing my personal limits.
10. What is your definition of truth? It's what's left after the facts are manipulated.
11.What drives you to treat people good or bad? Their behavior towards me and/or others.
12. What are moral/values? From a comedic perspective, the behavioral standards that hypocrites expect of others.
13. What relationships are important to you? Family, friends, environment, country.
14. On the AT, do you develop relationships with other backpackers/thru-hikers? explain? Not generally.
15. If yes to #14 then, have you developed any deep relationships on trail or do you stay in contact with anyone met on trail?N/A
16. What do you think happens when you die? You cease to exist. But of course, you won't be aware of that - because you no longer exist.
17. What is the craziest story you have of hiking the AT? Well, it involves heating up a frozen can of Chef-Boy-R-Dee over an Svea stove inside a tent. Let's just say steam is a powerful propellant . . .
18. What is the best trail name you ever heard? why? I like my daughter's - Soggyfeet. It's self-explanatory.
19. How do you feel about politics, especially in environmental areas? How else would we collectively protect public lands?
20. If you could bring only one book on the trail (thats not a guidebook) what book would you bring? I'd bring Dawkin's The God Delusion AND a Bible. Just to confuse other people.
21. What is your average pack weight? (base weight)12 lbs in summer.

Another Kevin
04-14-2015, 16:12
Hey guys/girls,

My name is Kevin and I am new here at WhiteBlaze. I look forward to interacting on this website with fellow AT hikers. Right now I am getting my Masters degree in South Carolina, and for a project to complete my degree I have to study a people group or socio-economic group. So because I am an avid hiker and AT section hiker I decided to do Appalachian trail culture as my people group. I have done some interviews in the past few months on the trail as I have met people willing to answer questions about themselves, but now I am reaching out to you all here at WhiteBlaze for help. I would love it if you all would answers some questions about yourselves and your experiences on the trial for my study of the great culture that exists on the AT. Answer as many or as few questions as you would like and You can reply here or send me a PM. Thanks. Here are the questions.

1. Name or Trail name?
2. How would you classify yourself (weekend warrior, thru hiker, section hiker)?
3. If you have done a thru hike what year?
4. Why do you backpack? or Why do you go on the AT?
5. What are your beliefs about nature?
6. Where did nature come from?
7. Do you see yourself as a spiritual person? why or why not?
8. What is the most important thing in your life?
9. How do you decide what do each day on the trail? (miles, where to sleep, etc.?)
10. What is your definition of truth?
11.What drives you to treat people good or bad?
12. What are moral/values?
13. What relationships are important to you?
14. On the AT, do you develop relationships with other backpackers/thru-hikers? explain?
15. If yes to #14 then, have you developed any deep relationships on trail or do you stay in contact with anyone met on trail?
16. What do you think happens when you die?
17. What is the craziest story you have of hiking the AT?
18. What is the best trail name you ever heard? why?
19. How do you feel about politics, especially in environmental areas?
20. If you could bring only one book on the trail (thats not a guidebook) what book would you bring?
21. What is your average pack weight? (base weight)

I know it is a lot of question and some are really serious, so thanks so much for taking the time to help me get my masters degree and also educate some city slicker professors about the AT. Until next time, happy trails!

KK

You're going to be gathering a self-selected sample here; ask your professor about controlling for selection bias. The cyber-hikers who (a) hang out here and (b) will take the time to answer your questions are likely not to be representative of the "Appalachian Trail culture," to the extent that there even is such a thing.

(1) Hi, Kevin, I'm another Kevin. That's all the trail name I have. I had another one, forty or so years ago. It doesn't fit me now any better than the clothes I wore then would fit me.
(2) I'm a clueless weekender, day-tripper, occasional lazy-a** section hiker. (Note the line to the left below my name.
(3) I haven't thru-hiked any of the major long trails.
(4) I backpack because when I don't, I get both fat and nasty. It's the only strenuous physical activity that I can stand doing over the long time, and being Out There improves my mood immeasurably. I go on the A-T when it's going my way. More often than not, I'm on other trails, and about a third of my hikes are bushwhacks, not on trail at all.
(5) Nature is everything-that-is. Or everything, at least, that is accessible to our direct observation. We live in nature always, we and the things we make are part of it as well. I can't really believe anything about it because there's nothing with which to compare it.
(6) Nature is a thing created. I don't presume to dictate to the Creator the techniques that He must have used. Since the Creator stands outside of space and time, I also don't see Creation as a thing that happened in the past. Our current understanding of what happened inside Nature shows space and time arising from an apparent singularity. Our current understanding is incomplete.
(7) Yes and no. I do pray - but prayer confers most of its benefit on the one who does the praying. The guy that owns the place already knows how to run it.
(8) If pushed to it, I would have to answer either 'integrity' or 'my family' - according to how the wind blows.
(9) On a short trip, I have to plan to get to a car by a specific time. I'm pretty flexible within that constraint. I know I'm slow, so I try not to plan more than 8-12 miles a day.
(10) Truth is that which is consistent with the operation of the senses and the application of reason. The world is discoverable and operates in a coherent manner.
(11) Try to employ fhe Platinum Rule: "Do unto others as they would have you do unto them." Fail often. Try again. Fail smarter.
(12) The discoveries of mathematical game theory in the past few decades lay the Platinum Rule on a solid naturalistic underpinning that does not depend on revealed truth. That said, the revealed truths that are highly regarded in most cultures are consistent with the theory, and if you want to found morality upon them, I shan't argue. Until and unless you want to go hurting people for the sin of disagreeing with you.
(13) Family above all; then various communities. Like all humans, I tend to rank the communities by familiarity and intimacy to me. To that extent, I'm classist, and racist, and nationalist, and sexist, and so on. I try to mitigate the consequences of that in my actions, and don't always succeed. Can't be helped.
(14-15) Certainly I have people that I consider friends, whom I've met through hiking. For the most part, those relationships have revolved around our shared interest, and we sometimes return to hike again. I certainly don't find that there's anything about trail people that makes them inherently any better or worse to form relationships with; but by virtue of us both being Out There, we at least have a common point of reference in our shared experience that makes them more approachable initially.
(16) I honestly don't know. Leading hypotheses are extinction and apokatastasis.
(17) Get back to me on this, with a beer in hand. Tall tales abound!
(18) One of the best attached itself to a guy who complained loud and long about the block of cheese that he'd left behind at a hostel. It turned out that the cheese had been found - and identified - by a fellow hiker, and had been passed hand to hand, on up the trail, by the faster hikers, with the tale of the cheese progressively growing in the telling. Before long, a total stranger walked up to the guy, and called out, "Hey, Cheddar! Here's your cheese!" The name stuck.
(19) I don't own the place, I'm a tolerated trespasser, and try to conduct myself accordingly. Most of what I see in environmental politics consists of a war. One side consists of robbers who would take everything that isn't nailed down - and anything they can pry loose isn't nailed down! The other side consists of those who see any human presence as despoliation. I find myself unable to align with either camp. We humans are a part of nature, and we have a duty to keep the place nice, but that doesn't mean that we have to hide ourselves away and entirely depopulate the wild places. And mostly, in the political arena, I wish that both sides would just leave me alone.
(20) Something I haven't read yet.
(21) Too heavy. :) It might be about 15 pounds, maybe a little less, in high summer, and in deep winter my traction gear alone weighs nearly that. At least two pounds of that stuff consists of "it's none of your business what's in my pack."

BirdBrain
04-14-2015, 16:35
You guys are tempting me to post my answer that I sent in private. I am certain there would be some lively responses to it. I thought better... but am rethinking.

4eyedbuzzard
04-14-2015, 16:51
You guys are tempting me to post my answer that I sent in private. I am certain there would be some lively responses to it. I thought better... but am rethinking.Aw, come on BirdBrain. What's the worst that could happen? Oh yeah, that. Well, post it anyway. :D

BirdBrain
04-14-2015, 16:56
Aw, come on BirdBrain. What's the worst that could happen? Oh yeah, that. Well, post it anyway. :D

You know that still small voice that whispers in your ear? It is screaming at me, "DON'T DO IT!!!!". I might have to listen for once in my life.

4eyedbuzzard
04-14-2015, 17:07
You know that still small voice that whispers in your ear? It is screaming at me, "DON'T DO IT!!!!". I might have to listen for once in my life.
Come on, live up to your name! I double bird dog dare ya.

Another Kevin
04-14-2015, 17:07
You guys are tempting me to post my answer that I sent in private. I am certain there would be some lively responses to it. I thought better... but am rethinking.

I know, you and I disagree on 80% of the points, and manage to respect each other. (I say it's because we're both blind men confronting an elephant who will always be beyond our understanding.)

Remember that there's a difference between "I don't believe X" and "I can arrive at conclusion Y without presupposing X."

Question #10 reminds me of Pilate's query, 'Quid est veritas?' From a very early time in the Church, it has been understood that John put the answer in the question: rearrange the letters to get "Est Vir Qui adest!" I suppose that Vir and Qui must be capitalised here.

BirdBrain
04-14-2015, 17:13
The volume just got louder. :D

4eyedbuzzard
04-14-2015, 17:14
I know, you and I disagree on 80% of the points, and manage to respect each other. . .Maybe we could spread this "respect beyond disagreement" concept you speak of? Nah, silly thought.

BirdBrain
04-14-2015, 17:17
Maybe we could spread this "respect beyond disagreement" concept you speak of? Nah, silly thought.

Forget respect. I wish I just had a good memory. You posted a tip the other day that had me calling you my hero. Now I can't remember what it was. :( It had something to do with food.

4eyedbuzzard
04-14-2015, 17:20
Forget respect. I wish I just had a good memory. You posted a tip the other day that had me calling you my hero. Now I can't remember what it was. :( It had something to do with food.Bisquick churros.

BirdBrain
04-14-2015, 17:23
Bisquick churros.

Yes! You are my hero again. Getting a pencil right now.

4eyedbuzzard
04-14-2015, 17:28
Yes! You are my hero again. Getting a pencil right now.Lots of recipes for them online. Most are for frying in oil (which is likely better/moister). I just bake lightly over the fire so as not to get them too dry. You can use some oil on them as well, or butter, or you know, improvise in typical hiker tradition. You can also use those crescent roll dough things for churros/breadsticks the first night out. They are really good.

BirdBrain
04-14-2015, 17:43
I am going the bannock route. Lots of videos on it. I don't grasp the big difference. Likely same thing. Sorry K.Keck.This is what we do best. Not sure it fits in your report. This is want is known as thread drift.

Another Kevin
04-14-2015, 19:54
I am going the bannock route. Lots of videos on it. I don't grasp the big difference. Likely same thing. Sorry K.Keck.This is what we do best. Not sure it fits in your report. This is want is known as thread drift.

And thread drift is a cyber-hiking tradition of long standing. It's a little like blue blazing. And, I've observed many times, that's 'blue blazing' in the sense of 'what in blue blazes is going on here?'

upstream
04-14-2015, 23:02
1. Name or Trail name?
Upstream

2. How would you classify yourself (weekend warrior, thru hiker, section hiker)?
Day Hiker, Peak Bagger, Orienteer, Weekend Warrior, Section Hiker, Trail Maintainer.
There's lot's of other ways to classify me too, but that's enough.

3. If you have done a thru hike what year?
N/A

4. Why do you backpack? or Why do you go on the AT?
I enjoy it.

5. What are your beliefs about nature?
I ain't got time to write you a book on everything I've learned about nature.

6. Where did nature come from?
Come from? I thought it was always there. Where it is going is a different story.

7. Do you see yourself as a spiritual person? why or why not?
8. What is the most important thing in your life?

9. How do you decide what do each day on the trail? (miles, where to sleep, etc.?)
Plan ahead and prepare. Adjust plans to reality.

10. What is your definition of truth?
Repeatable results of scientific method. Solutions that work.

11.What drives you to treat people good or bad?
How I wish them to treat me. My upbringing.

12. What are moral/values?
I read that definition in a philosophy class about 40 years ago, but I don't remember the answer. Is this a test?

13. What relationships are important to you?
My wife, my kids, other family, my co workers, my friends, other trail maintainers. People I share interests or experiences with.

14. On the AT, do you develop relationships with other backpackers/thru-hikers? explain?
Campfire relationships.

15. If yes to #14 then, have you developed any deep relationships on trail or do you stay in contact with anyone met on trail?
Other maintainers.

16. What do you think happens when you die?
17. What is the craziest story you have of hiking the AT?
18. What is the best trail name you ever heard? why?

19. How do you feel about politics, especially in environmental areas?
If it weren't for politics, we wouldn't have environmental areas.

20. If you could bring only one book on the trail (thats not a guidebook) what book would you bring?
That would change from time to time, because my interests change. Right now it would probably be a tree key.

21. What is your average pack weight? (base weight)
About 15 pounds, summer.

misprof
04-15-2015, 02:59
Unless this is just at the preliminary research phase, honestly, you have too many questions that I can't imagine could be useful from an analytic standpoint, as they are not focused enough to allow responses to be categorized and then create an useful analysis. Questions 6 through 13, 16, and 19 have little to do with the AT culture specifically, and will lead to 100 different anecdotal responses from 100 participants. And, if you then try to somehow categorize those responses, you will interject your own interpretive and perhaps even confirmation bias as to what the respondent(s) meant (data analysis error).

Better define your objectives and the focus of your study. What's the "elevator pitch" for your study?
Based upon those objectives, formulate specific questions that generate specific responses that can be categorized so that data can later be analyzed.
Check, then double check, the writing/wording of said questions for survey bias.

I'd also comment that while Whiteblaze is an easily accessible group, from a research standpoint it is a small "sample frame" of a much greater AT culture. The majority of hikers and thru-hikers are not active here. Which presents another possible research bias issue if WB becomes a major source of data (sampling frame error).


Kevin I agree with this quote. This is a long interview if you are looking for in-depth responses. Secondly because most of us on this site are off trail right now our responses would be skewed as we would be describing ourselves and our rationality while on the trail. Anyway for a survey this would be a lot better to do statistical analysis on if your questions had some given answers i.e. 1-5. I will be filling it in when I have time.