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View Full Version : Have thru hikers become standoffish?



Different Socks
07-23-2015, 19:49
Met several CDT thru hikers the last few weeks at East Glacier. A couple of them were going thru their resupply boxes, others were relaxing. I introduced myself, gave them my trail name, said where I'd hiked, the thru hikes I'd done and their response? Pretty much nothing. for the entire 20-30 min we shared the space of the common area, any answers they gave were short one or 2 word sentences.
Now I understand they were concentrating on going thru their food and gear, but they still seemed rather standoffish, as if since I wasn't on the trail and thru hiking like them, with them or met them on the trail, I didn't matter to them.
Same thing happened last week when I met another hiker attempting a Triple Crown. She reacted as if I was a bother to talk to.

What happened to thru hikers being friendly people, eager to talk about their trials and accomplishments off or on the trail?

Another Kevin
07-23-2015, 20:08
What happened? Probably nothing. The answer to any question about people seems to be "some are and some ain't."

kayak karl
07-23-2015, 20:15
you proved three people are stand-offish or 3 people don't want to talk to YOU. ;)

Sly
07-23-2015, 20:15
Probably dues to a disparity in ages. Even though conventional wisdom says otherwise, many younger people think the know it all and can't be bothered.

BirdBrain
07-23-2015, 20:20
I have seen a large sample size because I go SoBo. The majority I see are friendly, but in a hurry. Most give the cordial "have a good hike". Some tarry. Normally the ones that tarry also talk funny. Odd thing is they say I talk funny.

Oh! And one more thing. The older they are, the more apt they are to talk to me. I think because my hair is white, we have more in common and as such have more to talk about.

rickb
07-23-2015, 21:01
We have lost our novelty.

It used to be everyone felt an immediate bond -- like that of two strangers who just learned they attended the same high school in a small Iowa town.

Not so much now.

I no longer feel compelled to share with thru hikers that I did the tail over 30 years ago. No one really cares.

Different Socks
07-23-2015, 21:22
We have lost our novelty.

It used to be everyone felt an immediate bond -- like that of two strangers who just learned they attended the same high school in a small Iowa town.

Not so much now.

I no longer feel compelled to share with thru hikers that I did the tail over 30 years ago. No one really cares.

I am getting that feeling also.

Lone Wolf
07-23-2015, 21:29
We have lost our novelty.

It used to be everyone felt an immediate bond -- like that of two strangers who just learned they attended the same high school in a small Iowa town.

Not so much now.

I no longer feel compelled to share with thru hikers that I did the tail over 30 years ago. No one really cares.

i hardly ever talk to thru-hikers here in damascus. i like sectioners a lot better. besides most thru-hikers have their nose in their devices

changed
07-23-2015, 21:56
I met a lot of NoBo's that were severely embittered towards the trail.

By the time I quit, I was the same way, though, and I only walked 639 miles.

Spirit Walker
07-23-2015, 22:05
Why were the hikers bitter?

As to the OP, when we hiked the PCT, we ran into a SOBO section hiker in northern California. He said that of all the hikers he met, we were the first who actually talked to him. Everyone else was in too much of a hurry. We remembered the days on the CDT when meeting any other hiker was a big deal, so we were happy to visit for a while.

CELTIC BUCK
07-23-2015, 23:44
When you're a late teen to early 20 something you know everything. Those that survive those years; yes I did say survive , events occur to allow us realize that how lucky and stupid we were. Talk and listen everybody has wisdom or at least a good tale to share

Cobble
07-23-2015, 23:59
East Glacier on the CDT? Well if they were finishing up the CDT that might be the reason.
-CDT has a lot more lonely stretches from what I hear. Maybe they were just used to silence.
-The NoBos in Maine on the AT that I saw last year were so zeroed in on Katahdin that they didn't want to talk to anyone...processing the end of the journey...or just so tired.

So clearly I don't know the specifics but you know it could have been a hundred different things or just their personality. But Thru Hikers seem less social overall since I began my sections in '04 to me. (I wondered if it was as I worked my way North though)

BrianLe
07-24-2015, 02:19
Posted today about "last few weeks" in East Glacier --- these were SOBOs, and not much more than a week into their hike at that point.

I guess "who knows" is the right answer. I wouldn't generalize from one encounter.


"What happened to thru hikers being friendly people, eager to talk about their trials and accomplishments off or on the trail"

I think those are two different things --- friendly, vs. eager to talk about trials and accomplishments. FWIW.


"Same thing happened last week when I met another hiker attempting a Triple Crown. She reacted as if I was a bother to talk to."

I think context is important. Not just yours, but --- what you can't know about --- hers.

I've definitely encountered thru-hikers when I've been section hiking that seemed to have the attitude you describe. I'd like to think this is LESS prevalent on the CDT, but ... who knows.

TroutknuT
07-24-2015, 05:47
Drove into Mountain Harbour Hostel to start a section hike. Full hostel of thru hikers going through there gear and everyone was closed mouth and stand offish. At first I felt snubbed... Was it me still dressed in real world cotton... Was I an outsider crashing a tight knit group? Being full of piss and vinegar and jacked for my hike I began to feel less than,but as each hiker came out of a warm shower each and everyone of them became more social. It turns out each hiker had just pushed through 3 days of wind, cold and heavy rain. I still find it hard to not judge others till I have walked in ther shoes.

JumpMaster Blaster
07-24-2015, 06:56
i hardly ever talk to thru-hikers here in damascus. i like sectioners a lot better. besides most thru-hikers have their nose in their devices

Plus, how many thrus have you met in the last few years keep coming back to visit the little charming towns along the trail? :)

There's a reason I visit Damascus a few times every year.

rocketsocks
07-24-2015, 07:30
To cool fer school...scheez.

Starchild
07-24-2015, 07:33
...Was I an outsider crashing a tight knit group? Being full of piss and vinegar and jacked for my hike I began to feel less than,but as each hiker came out of a warm shower each and everyone of them became more social. It turns out each hiker had just pushed through 3 days of wind, cold and heavy rain. I still find it hard to not judge others till I have walked in ther shoes.

This.. I take as what happened. While thru hiking the group goes through similar experiences, a tough section in weather can cause a situation where many just do not want to talk. The thru's will understand because they will all be in the same situation, so I would not take it as they were standoffish just that they were in that place of their hike where they were mentally exhausted and it was not the time to talk.

Moosling
07-24-2015, 07:43
I agree with Troutknut

I think you have 2 types of people that thru hike (Based on the Hikers I have met)

Type #1: Has Spent years of planning and made financial arrangements and worked to get the privilege of taking a large amount of time away from the world to do a thru hike.

Type #2: Some fresh out of School rich kids who's mommy and daddy pay their bills and can just go and start whenever they want with nothing to worry about.
Disclaimer: I'm not saying all people who may have been in a better financial situation than others and were able to do a thru hike all act this way but many seem to.

I've played Sports all of my life, I never had a lot of money but I loved to play, I was never the best player I just had fun and pushed myself. There are always kids in sports who work their butts off to get to the pros, and then there are the kids born with a silver spoon in their mouth who got to go to the best baseball, basketball, hockey etc. camps.

Their attitudes are just different. but they are still athletes.

We take a lot for granted in this world and its harder for some people to adopt a more humble attitude than others. Give them time age will work it out.

I'm open to comments on this, this is just my personal opinion from being a section hiker and running into Thru Hikers on the AT, 99% of them have been great and were happy to share advice and shelters with me which I am forever greatful.

Namtrag
07-24-2015, 09:26
I didn't meet more than 10 this spring, but I found the ones I met to be friendly without fail.

BirdBrain
07-24-2015, 10:00
I didn't meet more than 10 this spring, but I found the ones I met to be friendly without fail.

We find in people what we are looking for. Sometimes it is not there no matter how hard we look. Those looking to be offended will likely be offended by what I just said. Those that look for other things will understand. If I can get them to stop. I am one question. How far are you coming from? If they are section hiking, the conversation is normally good. If they are a thru, they often are in a hurry. If they answer from.Springer. I give them a genuine "wow". That is usually enough to get a smile in return. Again, they are in a hurry. Often I get a have a good hike as they move on. Sometimes they stop. Once in a while, I get nothing.

TheCheek
07-24-2015, 10:32
Resupply and being in towns/hostels is the worst part for many. You might have been catching them at a time when they just wanted to get the heck out of there and get back to hiking.

Berserker
07-24-2015, 12:44
In my experience I've found that there are 2 major "classes" in the demographics of thru hikers...retirees or other "old guys" and young people (usually college kids). Generally I've found the retirees to be quite friendly and open, and the younger people usually come off a little more rude and standoffish. This of course is just a general statement and not everyone fits the mold. Plus considering I'm 42 I probably appear to be an old fart to the college kids. An interesting observation I have made is that a lot of time when I do one of my long sections and I keep up with a group of young thrus for several days they tend to change from ignoring me to me becoming "an equal". Maybe it's got something to due with an unspoken respect that I'm keeping up with them or something...I don't know...whatever...just HYOH and all that good stuff :D

gsingjane
07-24-2015, 15:14
I have noticed this also more and more on the trail. I think there are two reasons, one is that thru-hikers do for better or worse seem to constitute, or feel that they constitute, their own society. It is just like in high school, not a lot of interest in what's happening outside your clique.

Second is your (and my) age. Face it, you're invisible. Once many people have figured out that you're not going to be able to hook them up with anything they're interested in getting, their willingness to interact with you drops to zero.

True story of what happened to me vis-à-vis this exact problem: a few years ago I attended a long training weekend for outdoor facilitators. I was easily the oldest person there by 25 if not 30 years, we were all folks working at summer camps in the area but very few people my age do that. Other than giving me one-word answers to my friendly comments and questions, I got ignored. Totally.

That was sort of annoying but ok until it turned dangerous, which happened the second day when we were doing a trust/teamwork exercise, and I got dropped 15 feet straight onto my head ... at least in part, I have always felt, because the people who were supposed to be helping me literally didn't "see" me. I suffered a concussion, horrible bruising, and was out of commission for the rest of the weekend (not to mention, developed an abiding fear of climbing for high elements). Despite all that, none of the folks in the group, other than the facilitator himself, even asked me how I was doing afterward, including the specific guy who dropped me.

I would hope that my own adult children would not act this way toward their "elders," just as I would hope that other twenty-somethings would be more empathetic and interested in something outside their own friend zone and devices as LW says. And I always hope on every trip to be proven wrong.

Jane in CT

Traveler
07-25-2015, 08:51
It could be something far more simple. I know when I have been walking a while (several miles to several days) I become increasingly reticent as the day goes on. I will start out saying hello to people and valuations like "have a great hike" and other such things, but as the day wears on and the miles pile up, those turn to "hi" and eventually to a nod and smile. I am not being unfriendly, I am simply in the moment and you happened upon me (or I you).

I have a few friends who I share hiking time with, after the first few miles, conversation dies out to only important issues like which way at a poorly blazed fork. Time is passed in companionable silence, which does have benefits in spotting wildlife and hearing others long before they appear.

Coffee
07-25-2015, 09:14
In my experience I've found that there are 2 major "classes" in the demographics of thru hikers...retirees or other "old guys" and young people (usually college kids). Generally I've found the retirees to be quite friendly and open, and the younger people usually come off a little more rude and standoffish. This of course is just a general statement and not everyone fits the mold. Plus considering I'm 42 I probably appear to be an old fart to the college kids. An interesting observation I have made is that a lot of time when I do one of my long sections and I keep up with a group of young thrus for several days they tend to change from ignoring me to me becoming "an equal". Maybe it's got something to due with an unspoken respect that I'm keeping up with them or something...I don't know...whatever...just HYOH and all that good stuff :D

I've noticed the same thing... Most thrus are 20-something (maybe 75% or more) or older folks who are retired. At 41, I'm in the middle. I can keep up with the younger people for the most part, but the older hikers are more likely to be friendly, at least at first. I have more gray hair than most people my age so I probably appear to belong to the "old folks" group, although I like to hike longer miles.

Donde
07-25-2015, 11:27
So the OP did not disclose any information about the age of these hikers, yet many replies consist of older hikers talking about what a bunch of a-holes young hikers are. If I was a younger hiker and read that, I would be standoffish towards y'all. Maybe when you show up with disdain you get it back.

Moosling: A lot of those kids worked their but off to make the money for their hike while going to school.

I had good luck meeting friendly people on the AT in '10 and '13. On some sections in '14 I saw a lot of young d-bags. On the PCT this year I saw a lot of d-bags of all ages. I think entitled and/or party crowd hikers are being drawn in by the promise of partying and trail magic.

Slo-go'en
07-25-2015, 11:30
While hiking SOBO in VA this spring, I passed many hikers. Resting at vistas was about the only time during the day when anyone would want to chat. Rarely would anyone want to stop and chat along the way. You get into a rhythm and don't want to loose it.

When first getting to camp, there are chores to do. Where's the water? Is there space in the shelter or do I look for a tent spot? Once the chores are done, then you can start to be social.

gsingjane
07-25-2015, 17:32
Telling someone that they "show up with disdain" or "attract negativity" is just another way of blaming or undercutting the person who speaks up. I approach my time on the trail the same way I go about my life: friendly, open and interested in other folks and their stories. It is a fact that many (not all) younger people have no time at all for older hikers. It is a fact that many thru-hikers are way too involved in their own social bubble and trail drama to have any interest in meeting someone outside of it. Wait until you are older and if you are still fortunate enough to be actively hiking you'll see what I mean!

I was fortunate enough to spend some interesting time with a ridge-runner last summer - this is someone who had actually thru-hiked herself the prior year - and she was completely over thru-hikers. It was sad to hear it, really.

Jane

Different Socks
07-26-2015, 20:32
So the OP did not disclose any information about the age of these hikers, yet many replies consist of older hikers talking about what a bunch of a-holes young hikers are. If I was a younger hiker and read that, I would be standoffish towards y'all. Maybe when you show up with disdain you get it back.

Moosling: A lot of those kids worked their but off to make the money for their hike while going to school.



I had good luck meeting friendly people on the AT in '10 and '13. On some sections in '14 I saw a lot of young d-bags. On the PCT this year I saw a lot of d-bags of all ages. I think entitled and/or party crowd hikers are being drawn in by the promise of partying and trail magic.

The ages of the first two hikers were ion their late 20's. The Triple Crowner was in her 30's. I still think it was a simple matter of that since I was not part of the trail clique, I was not worthy of someone to talk to or exchange ideas. They were not reacting as if they had better or more important things to do, they interaction with me indicated that since I was not the same as they were (a thru hiker), why should I even talk to you.

Donde
07-26-2015, 20:59
Telling someone that they "show up with disdain" or "attract negativity" is just another way of blaming or undercutting the person who speaks up.

Jane

Yes I was indeed blaming the people who rushed to talk about "these kids today" without the OP even mentioning age, I thought that was pretty clear. Calling something you can't demonstrate or quantify a fact does not make it so or not so; example: it is a fact that some older people meet younger people with disdain and with constant comments on their youth, and presumed inexperience and lack of knowledge, and lots of "wait until you are older" comments. That kind of arrogance is pretty off putting, it suggests "don't talk to me until you can measure up". It would be as silly as if I constantly told people to wait till they had been to all the countries I've been too before they could speak about the world. As the rare 30y/o long distance hiker I see the way some older hikers treat the kids off the bat, and see how it creates distance. Plenty of the kids create distance too. When hikers just act like we're all hikers out there cool stuff happens, and great friendships start.

Miner
07-26-2015, 22:05
I think as numbers have gone up, many thru-hikers are not as starved for company and feel less need to just chat with anyone. Also, you are seeing more examples of various types of people that exist in society out on the trail. Some are use to being "special" for being a thru-hiker and when they meet someone who has done what they've done and maybe more, they don't get that warm fuzzy "I'm special" vibe and it turns them off.

I find myself hiking on parts of the PCT a lot and meet both SOBOs and NOBOs. In recent years, as the numbers have gone way up, the percentage of people that want to talk, even though I'm a former thru-hiker and I can share information on the trail they are about to encounter, has dropped; unless I'm giving them a ride. ;)

That said, you do still run into hikers that don't want to shut up. A SOBO I ran into just south of Tahoe last September, loved to stop and talk to people for long periods of time. I ran into him 2 days in a row and we talked a long time each encounter. NOBOs had told him that he needed to stop doing that or he would never finish. He didn't listen and was having no problem doing 30 mpd despite stopping to talk. Two other SOBOs that I ran into a few days later in north Yosemite, were in too much of a hurry to make the Tuolumne Grill for lunch to talk

somers515
07-26-2015, 22:31
I don't have the experience of many on this site but I've hiked on the AT in PA, NJ, NY and spent a week in NH and I can tell you that I've been very impressed with how friendly, polite and generally helpful every single thru-hiker has been that I've met. Reading on whiteblaze you might get a different impression but it has not been my experience.

Cobble
07-26-2015, 22:36
Trail drama...I've never experienced it and intentionally hiker around the AT bubble. But I have heard enough stories to make me laugh for a few minutes before I want to cry the rest of the day. (Wilderness and drama make me want to cry)

Ask almost any thru hiker for help, advice, or a question and they will talk. Try to give them advice after their first 200 miles and they have no time for it. Funny how that works.

Nodust
07-26-2015, 22:37
I don't have the experience of many on this site but I've hiked on the AT in PA, NJ, NY and spent a week in NH and I can tell you that I've been very impressed with how friendly, polite and generally helpful every single thru-hiker has been that I've met. Reading on whiteblaze you might get a different impression but it has not been my experience.

That was my experience this summer at the NOC and in Maine where we did some hiking. They may have been a little quiet at first but they opened up and were very nice and friendly.

JimBlue
07-26-2015, 22:46
Met several CDT thru hikers the last few weeks at East Glacier. A couple of them were going thru their resupply boxes, others were relaxing. I introduced myself, gave them my trail name, said where I'd hiked, the thru hikes I'd done and their response? Pretty much nothing. for the entire 20-30 min we shared the space of the common area, any answers they gave were short one or 2 word sentences.
Now I understand they were concentrating on going thru their food and gear, but they still seemed rather standoffish, as if since I wasn't on the trail and thru hiking like them, with them or met them on the trail, I didn't matter to them.
Same thing happened last week when I met another hiker attempting a Triple Crown. She reacted as if I was a bother to talk to.

What happened to thru hikers being friendly people, eager to talk about their trials and accomplishments off or on the trail?

Maybe they were very tired and just wanted to relax with their food ? Were they talking to each other ?

If they were not talking to each other, I would guess they were too tired for conversation.

Moosling
07-27-2015, 08:18
Moosling: A lot of those kids worked their but off to make the money for their hike while going to school.



Absolutely, I wasn't refering to everyone, but there are certainly people out there like that that were able to do it on mommy and daddys checkbook and their appreciation level of both the trail and other hikers may be different than anyone who worked hard to save and plan for a thru hike, thats all I was saying.

Bronk
07-27-2015, 10:41
I'd bet it was a combination of a clique that formed on the trail, them being tired, and the agoraphobia that sets in when you are out on the trail for a few weeks. When I got to Newfound Gap and saw the zoo that was going on in the parking lot all thoughts I had of hitching into Gatlinburg for food and fun disappeared and I wanted nothing more than to get back into the woods and away from all those people.

Odd Man Out
07-27-2015, 12:54
The ages of the first two hikers were ion their late 20's. The Triple Crowner was in her 30's. I still think it was a simple matter of that since I was not part of the trail clique, I was not worthy of someone to talk to or exchange ideas. They were not reacting as if they had better or more important things to do, they interaction with me indicated that since I was not the same as they were (a thru hiker), why should I even talk to you.

I suppose there are many possible answers, many of which been proposed. Perhaps it could be something simpler than that. I imagine a person who is hiking three long distance trails has had essentially the same superficial conversation a thousand times (What's your name? Where you going? Where'd you start? How much does your pack weigh? What kind of stove you have?....) If you meet someone in passing and you know suspect you will not be seeing them again, it's hard to have a deep meaningful conversation and tedious to have yet another superficial one.

sbhikes
07-27-2015, 14:02
A lot of the NOBOs this year on the CDT flipped up to Glacier to get away from the snow in the San Juans.

I don't ever try to talk to thru-hikers unless I'm out on the trail. They are not friendly in town and in general they are only friendly when they think you are another thru-hiker. When I'm out on the trail, I usually try to tell them up-front I'm just section hiking and that really weeds out the friendly ones from the ones who only talk to other thru-hikers. In general, the older they are the more friendly they are.

If you hiked the PCT in the 1970s, I totally want to hear your stories. 1975 is when I first heard of the PCT. To think anyone was doing it back then just makes me want to hear about it. What a true adventure that must have been! So if that's you, please keep trying to be friendly so maybe I will meet you someday.

canoe
07-27-2015, 20:21
put some food on a table and you will have a flock around you in not time

George
07-27-2015, 23:15
I think if you ran into a lone hiker, on the CDT, outside of town, they would likely be starving for human contact

the three hikers together apparently preferred to associate within the group of similar recent experience - not surprising in any place or time

fiddlehead
07-28-2015, 09:54
IMO people who are very sociable hike the AT.
Of, the PCT if they are from out west.
But, the CDT is more for loners.
It is my favorite.
I couldn't imagine hiking the AT NOBO with the numbers I hear about anymore.

Even the CDT is perhaps getting too crowded.
I prefer alone time or with one or 2 others.

Thats me anyway.
I really enjoy the designing of my own trail, or getting off trail more than any other kind of hiking.
The CDT is a good place for that because there is so much info on resupply, water sources etc.
But, get me off trail, in the Bitteroots, or jungles, or above treeline almost anywhere in CO, man, I'm in heaven.
Don't need to talk a lot when I get to town either.
Maybe some.

Tipi Walter
07-28-2015, 10:20
I rarely spend any time anymore on the AT as it's swarmed by too many people and by a select group of elite thruhikers who after 3 months on the trail feel they are Trail Gurus and Will Now Take Your Questions. I call it Holding Court and they do this at the end of every day at the trail shelters.

I explained it better in my trail journal when I did a trip to Mt Rogers in 2011 and spent too much time on the AT---

SHELTER CULTURE
Well, I left my camp and passed the Thomas Knob shelter thirty minutes later and climbed a hill and turned around to rest and what do I see in the distance but the guy and his friend bushwacking back up the mountain towards the AT and a bit north of the box. Oops, guess they couldn't find the horse trail. Why do I harp on this? Because the day before during my short visit to the carport shelter, the man was holding court about all things trail and all things backpacking, and then he said these magic words: "I never camped in the snow." So much for fielding questions to the tanned pope of all things ruck.


The AT generally suffers from this "holding court" hysteria. Why? Because people out backpacking for a week or a month or two on the AT become inflamed and infected with the notion that they've stepped from newbie to expert in the space of a few months, and yet many of them have never snow camped. It's easy for these long trail types to don the garb of cool trail weariness whereby they sit at the shelter picnic table-podiums and show just the right amount of trail jadedness and just the right amount of fellow thruhiker tolerance but show absolutely no degree of inquisitiveness or humility. They want instant authority and think nonstop backpacking for half a year appoints them guru status---some even write books about their treks.


In fact, five months backpacking is just that, and is not forty years, but don't try to tell this to the James Dean-affected weariness of the low weight spark of the vibram-heeled boys. You can always tell the experience and expertise of a backpacker by how many questions he or she asks you, and ya won't find no questions asked on the AT in Virginia. I guess by the time they make it here from Georgia they have it all figured out.

Wülfgang
07-28-2015, 13:14
^Tipi and others I think it's a generational thing.

I cant speak for the AT but here in CO probably 70% of hikers I meet are friendly. Many will stop and chat about great it is to be outside, how out of shape they are, etc.

I do notice the "older" hikers (say 40+) are usually more friendly. The under-30 crowd seems to be unaware of any existence not in their immediate social bubble. Solipsism, it's called. And this extends to city life as well. When is the last time you saw a young female not looking at her smartphone or saying "ew" about anything and everything that ruffles her comfort zone??

I don't know if it's really an issue or if everyone says these things about the younger generations as they get older. It's a shame though. Part of the appeal of the AT is the social experience but it just doesn't sound like there is much trail camaraderie anymore.

Another Kevin
07-28-2015, 16:15
I rarely spend any time anymore on the AT as it's swarmed by too many people and by a select group of elite thruhikers who after 3 months on the trail feel they are Trail Gurus and Will Now Take Your Questions. I call it Holding Court and they do this at the end of every day at the trail shelters.

I don't hike the A-T very much at the moment, because there are very nice lesser trails that are closer to me. On them, I often enough seem to be called upon to Hold Court. An example: I'm on the second day of a three-day loop, and the trail takes me through a state campground. I'm never one to pass up a chance at modern plumbing, so I avail myself of the opportunity to poop, shower and tank up with well water. As I'm traversing the campground, someone pulls up and says, "Hey, do you know where site #27 is?"

"Sorry, I'm not staying here. I'm just passing through on a backpacking trip."

Kids in the back of the van start asking questions, beginning with "Really? Where are you staying?"

"Wherever I can find a big enough flat spot to pitch my tent."

People on the porch of the bath-house overhear, and start in with Hiker Twenty Questions: "Really? You walked here all the way from .... ?"

"Well, yeah. It's not that far, only 15 miles and I started yesterday."

And Hiker Twenty Questions follows. Sure, the questions are ones I've heard hundreds of times. Answering them in good humour is part of being a good ambassador for the trail.

"Yes, I sleep in the woods." "Yes, I've seen bears. Never for long enough to get my camera out, more's the pity!" "I have dried food in my pack. I'm thinking about mango chicken curry tonight, I'm rather fond of that one." "I very seldom make a fire, at least in warm weather. I cook on a little alcohol burner that I made from a soda can." "Same as you. I stop off in a town and go to the store." "Oh, there must be a million places I can do that. I try to hold it long enough to dig a hole." "Too heavy! It's not all that bad at the moment, I have only two days of food in there. Want to pick it up and feel for yourself?" "When it rains, I get wet. I have dry stuff to change into for sleeping."

And eventually it usually ends with, "Well, I really need to move along. I'm trying to get to ..... in time to make camp by sundown."

It appears to be entertaining to the campers, and sometimes gets the little ones thinking, "someday I'd like to do that." I think it's a Good Thing overall.

But that's probably not what you were talking about.

And by the way, if we ever share a fire, I have about a zillion questions to ask you. I guess that shows my expertise level is "clueless weekender." :)

rickb
07-28-2015, 16:48
One thing I can say with great authority is telling thru hikers at a shelter you hiked the trail 30+ years ago is not a good conversation starter.

Which is just fine.

Like so many 50-somethings we can always come home to Whiteblaze and delude ourselves into thinking someone is listening to us.

It pretty sad when you post from the Trail, though.

Tipi Walter
07-28-2015, 16:57
To Another Kevin: I would probably stop their questions for a moment or two and ask my own: "Do you guys use a loud generator when you car camp? How can you stand the noise?"

Or: "Why do guys driving 40 foot RVs into campgrounds call what they do "Camping"?

Etc you get the idea.

Wyoming
07-28-2015, 17:10
Nobody has mentioned yet the first thing that popped into my head when I read the OP.

They didn't talk to you because to a thru hiker....YOU SMELLED FUNNY! :eek:

sbhikes
07-28-2015, 17:38
I really enjoy the designing of my own trail, or getting off trail more than any other kind of hiking.
The CDT is a good place for that because there is so much info on resupply, water sources etc.
But, get me off trail, in the Bitteroots, or jungles, or above treeline almost anywhere in CO, man, I'm in heaven.


You might like the Condor Trail. The first person to ever thru-hike it did so this spring. It's a very difficult trail, much of it is an adventure in route-finding on unmaintained trail. Bring loppers and a saw.

Another Kevin
07-28-2015, 17:55
To Another Kevin: I would probably stop their questions for a moment or two and ask my own: "Do you guys use a loud generator when you car camp? How can you stand the noise?"

Or: "Why do guys driving 40 foot RVs into campgrounds call what they do "Camping"?

Etc you get the idea.

You should see what they used to call a 'camp (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Camps)' in the Adirondacks!

Anyway, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. I think the Hiker Twenty Questions game gets the young 'uns thinking. I also occasionally go hiking with a kid or two from the neighbourhood, and get the same sort of questions then. Getting the questions answered sometimes really gets them thinking, "Wow, maybe I can do this!"

(My daughter sometimes is still willing to go hiking with the old man, if she happens to be in town.)

I'm really getting far off topic here, but I went out for a day trip a month or so ago with a couple of neigbour kids, ages 7 and 5. We came to one spot where the trail went maybe 20-30 feet up a riverbank on a slab of dirty shale. The older kid went first. His feet started to slip and he wailed, "I can't do this!" I told him, "Sure you can. You just don't know how yet! Bend over, spread your fingers, and put your hands flat on the rock. Now get one foot flat on the rock, with your heel WAAAAY down. Now stick your butt way out and get the other foot there with your heel WAAAY down. Walk up on your hands and feet." He got a few feet, started to slip a little, and before he could say anything I shouted, "Remember, heels down, butt out!"

The expression on his face when he realized he was making progress was priceless. He'd just done something he was dead certain was impossible. Little brother scampered right up the rock behind him.

I may have made hikers out of them in that one moment. That's well worth a few dozen rounds of the same old questions. They're not old questions to the people asking them.

fiddlehead
07-29-2015, 09:39
You might like the Condor Trail. The first person to ever thru-hike it did so this spring. It's a very difficult trail, much of it is an adventure in route-finding on unmaintained trail. Bring loppers and a saw.

Thanks for that sbhikes.
I will keep it in mind although I don't know when I will get to California again.
It may be a while.
Right now it's jungles and tropics in Thailand.
I'll be in Maine in Oct this year.

Donde
07-29-2015, 16:21
When is the last time you saw a young female not looking at her smartphone or saying "ew" about anything and everything that ruffles her comfort zone??.

Yeah that sounds just like a dirty hairy hiker chick.

In my personal experience of a bit over 5k miles on long trails, I do think the d bag factor is on the rise, and I don't think it is generational. It is the increase in rainbow/hippie/I squat on a crappy boat/ whatever other asthetic and philosophy I use as a sham for the fact I am bum and really like to get f'd up. More freebies and increasing dope and party culture are taking over. A lot of that is young folks, but I have met plenty of older burnouts smoking hash (not pot Hash) and telling me how they aren't worried about not having any money cause there is this free hostel, and the "trail provides man" "mother earth always provides man" they never have money for a hostel yet always have dope??

sbhikes
07-31-2015, 12:34
Thanks for that sbhikes.
I will keep it in mind although I don't know when I will get to California again.
It may be a while.
Right now it's jungles and tropics in Thailand.
I'll be in Maine in Oct this year.
Maybe when you get around to it there will actually be a trail and your legs won't look like Hamburger like hers did.

Praha4
07-31-2015, 18:24
I'm an AT section hiker, and have to say most of the thru-hikers I meet on the trail these days are like the ones you described, both NoBo and SoBo thru hikers. But I would qualify that by saying it does seem that they are more open, talkative and friendly with section hikers the closer they are to the beginning of their hike. The more time they are on the trail, they become more aloof and less talkative with section hikers, more cliquish with their little group of thru hikers, almost like a "tribe".

this is not absolute, I've met some near the finish line that are really cool, and chat up with u... so it's not a rule of thumb

misterfloyd
08-01-2015, 10:53
I have section hiked a good portion on the AT and have never had a problem, except for one, with a hiker, section or thru.
I get that thru have thier own little bubble, they probably yo-yo with them for a long period and that builds camaraderie.
Most of the people I have meet have been very friendly.

As opposed to holding court, I will listen to what others will say regarding hiking on the AT, hence me being on this forum as well. Doesn't mean that I will follow it though. Regarding hiking in general, I have found there is two kinds of hiking, AT and everything else.

I'm 49 and never have felt excluded from any group. If I get a vibe, I move along.

Could the problem be more of a generational gap? less in common?

Floyd

Dogwood
08-01-2015, 15:16
BrianLe had it right IMO: don't make broad sweeping generalizations of all thru-hikes on limited interactions.

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and.... "
a time to talk, a time to listen, a time to share, a time to bond, a time to step forward into the spotlight, a time to step back, a time to move on, a time to be quiet, a time to allow others their moments,.....

Being sensitive and wise to the appropriate times for all these to occur in their seasons is one of life's great lessons. Thru-hiking can be the vehicle to gain a greater sensitivity to the appropriate times for all these things to occur.

MuddyWaters
08-01-2015, 16:28
I usually find thru hikers i meet to be ok, especially sobos nearing the end in the fall.

But i intentionally avoid the heart of the bubble. I also dont talk gear, or offer advice unless asked about specifics. I dont expect to make inroads into cliques. I meet people, then leave them behind for the most psrt.

sethd513
08-02-2015, 09:09
My wife figured it out this weekend when we did our small section. All you gotta say is where you are going and most ppl if they want to talk explain their last tenish miles then visa versa. We are 26 and anyone atleast mid to late 30s or older are a charm to deal with and unfortunately we have to end the conversations more likely then not. There's always a snide comment from the younger ones.

Praha4
08-02-2015, 09:54
I recall one of my longest AT section hikes (which began as a thru hike), at the end of my 3rd day on the trail, arriving at Mountain Crossings at Neels Gap, GA, late in the day, just 20 minutes before they closed. We had stayed at Gooch Mtn shelter the night before. I think it was around April 23rd. Me and a buddy I met at Springer Mtn decided to stay at the Walasi Yi Hostel, which was pretty much full for the night. We were both given top bunks in the hostel. All the bottom bunks had been taken much earlier in the day by a large group/clique of NoBo thru hikers, who had hiked the grand total of 4-5 miles that day from Woods Hole shelter. This group looked like they were going on the next Everest expedition, at least a Hollywood version. Clothing included the latest and most expensive hats, boots, and jackets. As my buddy and I walked across the parking lot toward the hostel, this elite group was outside profiling, "holding court", (as Tipi so well described) and taking pictures and videos of each other to post online as quickly as possible. Looked like a Hollywood set for "Seven Years in Tibet", one even had the Brad Pitt thing going with the yellow hair. As we humbly approached, my buddy and I could sense we were in the company of greatness, of yet undiscovered trail legends... legends in their own minds.

I learned early on not to make direct eye contact with these AT yet to be "trail legends", it's a sure way to find oneself the target of the "holding court", and gear/shoes/clothing critiques, whether requested or not.

So we bowed to them, and quietly tiptoed into the hostel, where we were directed to the 3rd class "steerage" section, the top bunks. When the "Seven Years in Tibet" cast returned to the bunkrooms, I learned my bunk was on top of the cast leader, the one wearing the most expensive Tilley "Aussie" hat and wearing the Bogart ascot. He lectured me on proper hostel ettiquette, and where I was and was not permitted to place my heh-heh "dime store" hiking gear.

What a day! Only 3rd day on the AT and my buddy and I had already stumbled onto the biggest group of AT blue-flame specials I had met, or ever met since then.

Next morning, as I came back into the bunkroom holding my coffee cup, in a loud voice he warned me "If you spill that coffee on my stuff you'll be sorry you ever stepped foot on this trail". By this time I think I had enough, and responded in a less than appropriate language for the trail. In a moment of weakness brought on by 3 days on the trail, all that "turn the other cheek" stuff I had drilled into me in Catholic grade school was temporarily suspended. Needless to say, we didn't become "trail buddies for life".

I've seen what Tipi described many, many times on the trail. I'm no where close to Tipi's experience level on the trail, but I've seen it myself, and not just from hikers who have been on the trail for a couple months, but hikers who've been on the trail for 3 Days!

cheers!

Tipi Walter
08-02-2015, 10:35
Great post Praha4, and I like some of your comments:

"This elite group was outside profiling, holding court . . ."

"We could sense we were in the company of greatness."

"AT blue-flame specials . . ."

THRUHIKING VS JUST BACKPACKING
I've done several trips with "thruhikers" on long trails like the AT and the BMT and have come to these conclusions:

**Backpacking is a strange affliction and thruhiking a long trail is a specialized version of an already narrow field. General backpacking for most is a weekend 3 to 5 day trip vs backpacking a long trail like the AT or the BMT. The opposite of thruhking would be expedition backpacking, hence the need for an expedition pack.


** Thruhikers are on a forced march whereby daily mileage is vital and may be the most important aspect of their outdoor experience. This mindset limits their ability to go off trail on blue blaze adventures and to possibly derail the entire hike to explore other trails.


** Thruhikers generally hate deviating from the prescribed path as then they won't be "official" and can't get the patch and recognition.


** Thruhikers generally cannot carry more than 5 days worth of food because their packs are not designed to handle the weight. This complicates matters and results in the following point---


** Thruhikers obsess about the next town and the next resupply. Some will travel fast thru beautiful country on a big mile day just to reach a town and to get a motel room. Instead of pulling short mile days or zero days on the trail in their tents, they often drool over hot showers, soft beds and restaurant meals. For this reason they pour over their guide books and maps and data books to plan their next town trips and resupply, so when I meet them out in the woods they are either coming from a town or heading out to a town. It's depressing.


** And here's the kicker: Thruhikers use up big chunks of time to do their hikes like 20 or 30 days or more but you will never see a thruhiker using that block of time to carry 30 days worth of food and stay out in a wilderness area with hundreds of miles of trails and loops opportunities. For some reason their brains cannot compute such an "expedition"---an uninterrupted month in the backcountry with no laundry mats and no motel rooms and no restaurants and little to no cell service and no battery recharging---just them and their gear and food for a month.


For some reason such backpacking is not official like a completed thruhike and there's no recognition and no patch and yet they all have the time to do such trips. It must be the social aspect and town support and the shelter system which these backpackers find so attractive. It's definitely not about getting an unbroken amount of time out in the woods.

And so it's no wonder backpacking thruhikers can get weird or aloof or snobbish or whatever. They are on a Forced March. They are either coming from a town or racing to a town. Many of them become Expert Trail Gurus and hold court and Will now take your questions etc.

sbhikes
08-02-2015, 15:33
I also dont talk gear, or offer advice unless asked about specifics.

This reminds me of an experience I had when I was in the middle of my 1800 mile adventure.

I'm somewhere in the middle of my adventure, and like Tipi said, it's like a forced march. But I don't know if it's so much for the reasons he mentioned as for my hunger. I was always starving. I felt like I was trying to out-run my starvation all the time. It's like a vicious cycle, too, because the bigger mile days you do the hungrier you get so you race your hunger even faster with bigger mile days. Yes, I dreamed of restaurant meals all the time, but not really hotel rooms. I just wanted to eat.

So here I am and this guy sees me and he's so excited he just wants to talk shop. Talk gear, mostly. He was so excited about his gear. I'd been out there long enough by now I never even thought about my gear anymore. My gear was just gear. Just a tool. Gear talk was so boring. I wasn't very nice to him. I was curt and I hiked away as quickly as I could. Why? Because the Timberline Lodge was only 5 miles away and I'd been dreaming about their buffets for many miles and I was so very hungry and had eaten pretty much all my food.

Later I saw him again and being more well-fed I apologized for being so curt.

I would have enjoyed hiking with him for a while. I was very lonely. But I was so much faster than him now. I was in this space of having never been particularly athletic, plus being in my mid-40s, here I was doing this incredible physical thing I had no idea I could do. I was loving that part of the adventure. I stood on the balcony of the Timberline lodge and looked at Mt. Jefferson way out in the haze and it boggled my mind that I had been standing there only yesterday. How had this old fat lady walked so far? I really liked that part of my adventure. I didn't want to slow down. I wanted to see if I could do even more.

This approach does have its disadvantages, though. The missed side trails definitely being one, and the missed beauty with your mind preoccupied by your feet and your stomach for another. I wouldn't necessarily disparage thru-hikers for giving in to this experience. You may never get another chance in your life to truly test your own physical power.

Malto
08-02-2015, 19:06
I can understand why thruhikers in general may get a rep for being "standoffish". Piper laid out some of the reasons above. let me try in bullet form.
1) Thru hikers will likely run in hundreds of day or weekend hikers. on busy trail days it could be a constant stream of humanity. At some point many may want to just keep moving.
2) Lone Wolf has talked about the rush to get to the finish. In addition I believe a much bigger "rusher" is the desire to get to a meal or shower. As Piper talked, that can be a motivator to keep moving.
3) You get asked the same questions over and over, it gets old at time and often you may not want to deal with it.
4) sometimes you are in a less then social mood or more frequently for me you are in a groove and want to keep moving or there is a deadline to hit such as a resupply or more important the ending of the breakfast buffet at Timberline. (I barely missed it but hit the lunch buffet.)
5) If you are hiking with others, you could be in the middle of a conversation and don't want to interrupt.
6) at the end of the day, you have chores to do and could be dead tired.

I am an extreme extrovert and tend to talk to squirrels on the trail. But there are times that some could claim I was standoffish for all the reasons I listed. It is and was nothing personal, has little to do with thru hiking as I am probably guilty of the same antisocial infractions even on shorter hikers.

lemon b
08-03-2015, 08:31
Like many I avoid the AT when I can, however, living so close to the trail head in Becket & Washington, Ma. I do get on trail and run into hikers.As a general rule I don't ask people if they are thru-hiking. Only ones who have mentioned it usual have a need which I'll help with if able. My experience over the years is that thru hikers are no different than anyone else some are aloof some not. I think when perceived as standoffish around here in the Berkshires is just a function that we do have more than our share of tourists and some get sick of being questioned about their hike.

Offshore
08-03-2015, 08:48
Like many I avoid the AT when I can, however, living so close to the trail head in Becket & Washington, Ma. I do get on trail and run into hikers.As a general rule I don't ask people if they are thru-hiking. Only ones who have mentioned it usual have a need which I'll help with if able. My experience over the years is that thru hikers are no different than anyone else some are aloof some not. I think when perceived as standoffish around here in the Berkshires is just a function that we do have more than our share of tourists and some get sick of being questioned about their hike.

I don't avoid the trail, but my approach is pretty much the same. I pretty much keep to myself. I say hello when passing on the trail and only chat when all parties are stopped taking a break. If I can help out with something, I do - usually answering questions about local services or giving a ride for resupply or medical attention. I don't view thrus as some sort of superhumans nor do I view them as oddities to be studied. They just people sharing a trail. I've had far more positive encounters than standoffish ones with thrus of all ages.

Marta
08-03-2015, 21:43
I just hiked most of the Glacier section with a guy who's working on the third leg of his Triple Crown. He makes a practice of saying hi and exchanging a few words with every single person he meets on any trail. In Glacier he gave up on Day 2, when he reached Ptarmigan Tunnel--too many people. It was too exhausting.

My guess is that they were standoffish for all of the above--you've passed your sell-by date for the younger crowd and it hurts their self-image to share an adventure with someone so much older (if you were female this vibe would be overwhelming); they were exhausted and preoccupied with/worried about/focused on the upcoming section, which is challenging to pack for, navigate, and (in their darkest fears) not get eaten by bears during; they were burned out on human contact after sharing campsites, trails, and scenic overlooks elbow to elbow with the masses for the past week.

Freak on a Leash
08-10-2015, 00:12
Sometimes people just don't want to talk. It's as simple as that. It's one reason I don't like staying in shelters and hike alone. I like being alone. I don't like answering a million questions. I find that people are way too nosy for my tastes so I tend to keep to myself. It's nothing personal, it's just the way I am.

Gry
08-13-2015, 15:33
I didn't have any issues on the trail with hikers being standoffish. Nearly everyone I met were extremely polite and helpful. Only times people seemed to be standoffish were when sensitive subjects were brought up.. Religion, miles done that day, politics, ultralight equipment. I did find it strange with the hike your own hike mantra that if your trail name, or lack of resembled a real name you would be asked constantly "no trail name?" Or have strangers attempting to brand you.

lonehiker
08-13-2015, 17:41
They were stand-offish because they didn't need anything. Had they needed a ride (or whatever) they would have been your best friend....

Cookerhiker
08-22-2015, 10:59
I don't get to the AT too often these days, but this past April I met thruhikers in both the Smokies (Low Gap where I hiked up the side trail) and Grayson Highlands. Can't say I detected a standoffish manner at all but our conversations were brief. At Low Gap, all the hikers were young. Now I didn't attempt a long conversation or talk about my hiking experience, rather I just asked a few things about their hike - when did you start at Springer, how far you going today, see any bears, etc. At Grayson Highlands, we met both young and old hikers - both were friendly enough. Admittedly this experience is just a snapshot but I didn't see a big change from 10 years ago when my 700 miles of section hiking put me in contact with scores of thrus.

In July on a Colorado Trail day-hike near Leadville, the thrus were also reasonably friendly, but again, I didn't initiate a long conversation or talk about myself - not even that I had written a book about the CT. They were appreciative when I gave them the latest weather forecast.

I think it depends on how you approach thru-hikers. Don't assume that they crave conversation with others and their being taciturn doesn't always equate with being standoffish or elitist. Sure, some are but I wouldn't generalize.

greenmtnboy
08-22-2015, 11:02
I never kept up with hikers on the trail and don't know anyone who formed friendships with fellow hikers on the A/T or L/T but I'll have to admit that I could be friendlier. Maybe it goes with the independence of hiking and not wanting to be slowed or bogged down by others.

Spacelord
08-22-2015, 17:46
If someone introduces themself and immediately starts listing off all the trails and thru hikes they've done, I probably won't make any effort to have a conversation. Sounds super arrogant, like your selling yourself.

Sent from my LG-V495 using Tapatalk

greenmtnboy
08-23-2015, 10:42
There are many hikers willing to engage in healthy conversations with other hikers, but most seem to be in a hurry unfortunately; I've thought of dropping that Thoreau quote as there are so many better ones. Plus Robert Louis Stevenson was quite critical of his lifestyle.

Uriah
08-23-2015, 11:17
They were stand-offish because they didn't need anything. Had they needed a ride (or whatever) they would have been your best friend....

So very true. As a part-time selective trail angel (but all-round skeptic/cynic/curmudgeon who tends to like people less and less as he ages) I've learned not to offer any gifts or services until I've got a feeling for the potential recipient(s). Perhaps that's not really giving or enacting a random act of kindness (which trail magic probably fails to qualify as anyhow), but who wants to give to ungrateful types or those out to use others?

Instead I (choose to) help the friendly folk, be they on a trail or not. If they smile or are courteous (and at least seemingly sincere), I'll do what I can to make their trip a little more enjoyable. Usual not though. No one forces us to hike long distances, so why the help anyway?

greenmtnboy
08-24-2015, 09:10
So very true. As a part-time selective trail angel (but all-round skeptic/cynic/curmudgeon who tends to like people less and less as he ages) I've learned not to offer any gifts or services until I've got a feeling for the potential recipient(s). Perhaps that's not really giving or enacting a random act of kindness (which trail magic probably fails to qualify as anyhow), but who wants to give to ungrateful types or those out to use others?

Instead I (choose to) help the friendly folk, be they on a trail or not. If they smile or are courteous (and at least seemingly sincere), I'll do what I can to make their trip a little more enjoyable. Usual not though. No one forces us to hike long distances, so why the help anyway?

I agree. "Unconditional love" is a false construct, though I hear it quite a bit; even God is not unconditional in love, as it is not helpful to people who have done evil to be showered with blessing unless they come to full amendment of the evil they have done. The worst thing for many is to be showered with stuff that is not needed for that person.

Oteast
08-26-2015, 19:25
Great post Praha4, and I like some of your comments:

"This elite group was outside profiling, holding court . . ."

"We could sense we were in the company of greatness."

"AT blue-flame specials . . ."

THRUHIKING VS JUST BACKPACKING
I've done several trips with "thruhikers" on long trails like the AT and the BMT and have come to these conclusions:

**Backpacking is a strange affliction and thruhiking a long trail is a specialized version of an already narrow field. General backpacking for most is a weekend 3 to 5 day trip vs backpacking a long trail like the AT or the BMT. The opposite of thruhking would be expedition backpacking, hence the need for an expedition pack.


** Thruhikers are on a forced march whereby daily mileage is vital and may be the most important aspect of their outdoor experience. This mindset limits their ability to go off trail on blue blaze adventures and to possibly derail the entire hike to explore other trails.


** Thruhikers generally hate deviating from the prescribed path as then they won't be "official" and can't get the patch and recognition.


** Thruhikers generally cannot carry more than 5 days worth of food because their packs are not designed to handle the weight. This complicates matters and results in the following point---


** Thruhikers obsess about the next town and the next resupply. Some will travel fast thru beautiful country on a big mile day just to reach a town and to get a motel room. Instead of pulling short mile days or zero days on the trail in their tents, they often drool over hot showers, soft beds and restaurant meals. For this reason they pour over their guide books and maps and data books to plan their next town trips and resupply, so when I meet them out in the woods they are either coming from a town or heading out to a town. It's depressing.


** And here's the kicker: Thruhikers use up big chunks of time to do their hikes like 20 or 30 days or more but you will never see a thruhiker using that block of time to carry 30 days worth of food and stay out in a wilderness area with hundreds of miles of trails and loops opportunities. For some reason their brains cannot compute such an "expedition"---an uninterrupted month in the backcountry with no laundry mats and no motel rooms and no restaurants and little to no cell service and no battery recharging---just them and their gear and food for a month.

For some reason such backpacking is not official like a completed thruhike and there's no recognition and no patch and yet they all have the time to do such trips. It must be the social aspect and town support and the shelter system which these backpackers find so attractive. It's definitely not about getting an unbroken amount of time out in the woods.

And so it's no wonder backpacking thruhikers can get weird or aloof or snobbish or whatever. They are on a Forced March. They are either coming from a town or racing to a town. Many of them become Expert Trail Gurus and hold court and Will now take your questions etc.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++


Most agreed, in 93 when was going through GA->ME, I was ripped by the convention for old school gear: external frame pack, felt crusher hat, cotton T-shirts, wool coat, jeans; many of these folks being ignorant of the fact natural fiber clothing did NOT irritate my skin unlike poly-pro or lycra. Also, was ripped for a heavier pack with lots of repair gear and food, but then I wasn't having to go into every other town either and could enjoy back-country trail camping I had some stretches of 300 miles with no forced town stops and that was without having to do a 20+ mile day-in/day-out death march. See a great campsite in mid-day - no problem. It was all about the journey, and enjoying the events along the way, not making the Big-K wouldn't have killed me. The main thing that drove me into towns for stop was getting some fresh fruit, do some laundry, get a shower and head on. But then again had enough pots and gear I could sponge shower and do laundry well and do it well away from the water sources as well....

Would I go much lighter now should I get blessed with another AT or a PCT thru attempt, probably, as I have found that ultralight gear backpacking is a fun aesthetic on weekender’s and 3-4 day hikes over the years, much like marathoning is to others. Like my 2oz beer-can penny stove, and heavily modified stripped out sub 1lb backpack. Would I continue to eschew hostels and town zeros and stay on the trail, definitely so. In the teen years I used to go "coffee can" camping in the town forest with a couple other close friends. Spend a weekend in the woods come rain or shine with 2 layers of clothes (empty pockets) and whatever could be packed in a standard coffee can riveted to a bandoleer strap (no No 10 cans!). Anyhow it was fun to see what we brought and compare over time and with each other, good times!

Great post!, it needed to be said to HYOH, but conversely, also one should not pass judgement either ("hold court").

rafe
08-26-2015, 20:03
I have observed this stand-offishness from time to time. Neither surprised nor offended by it. First time I noticed it was eons ago, so it's hardly a new thing. I think in some cases it's simply a matter of exhaustion, both physical and emotional. They're thinking of home, or Katahdin, or tomorrow's miles, or their next town stop or mail drop... Not really wanting to relate to someone who clearly isn't on the same journey or quest.

Yankee15
08-26-2015, 22:55
Honestly, I think thru hikers are a bunch of D-bags.

Traveler
08-27-2015, 07:47
I have observed this stand-offishness from time to time. Neither surprised nor offended by it. First time I noticed it was eons ago, so it's hardly a new thing. I think in some cases it's simply a matter of exhaustion, both physical and emotional. They're thinking of home, or Katahdin, or tomorrow's miles, or their next town stop or mail drop... Not really wanting to relate to someone who clearly isn't on the same journey or quest.

I don't believe this is limited to the AT thru hiker. Business travelers who fly over 100k miles a year seldom engage in much conversation and may sit next to you for a four hour flight. Its not that they are unfriendly, its more that they have had most all the casual conversations on aircraft that can be had. The same is probably true for thru hikers, after a while conversational themes tend to repeat.

rickb
08-27-2015, 08:57
parit enim conversatio contemptum, raritas conciliat admirationem
(familiarity breeds contempt, rarity brings admiration) -- Apuleius.

Cookerhiker
08-27-2015, 09:57
Honestly, I think thru hikers are a bunch of D-bags.

Lone Wolf, is that you?:D

Lnj
08-27-2015, 11:34
I expect this type of reception on the trail, especially being a know-nothing newbie that is obviously out of shape. That's why I am on this forum now. I am picking all of your brains for the stories and guidance and knowledge for the thru-hiker elders now, so I can sponge it up, write it down, use it later and leave you alone on the trail, when I am not sure I will even be able to breathe, much less chat. Of course, should ANYONE, of ANY pedigree start up a conversation with me, I will definitely oblige the human interaction. I just won't be the starter. :)

tagg
08-27-2015, 14:26
If you go anywhere and just randomly speak to people you don't know, some of them will be friendly, and some will be stand-offish. It's just people being people, don't overthink this.