PDA

View Full Version : most important piece of gear - sense of humor



RITBlake
01-22-2006, 00:00
Today I at work I was thinking about my thru hike (what a suprise) and I was trying to determine what the most invaluable thing was that we carried. I really think it was our sense of humor and our ability to laugh at ourselves that kept us going. No matter how hard a day was or how cold the morning, we always tried to keep a positive attitude and find the bright sides of things.

We certainly weren't happy go lucky all the time, but we never really took ourselves, or our thru hike very seriously. It made it a lot more fun and a lot easier to stay an extra day in town or to spend an extra hour swimming when everyone else was rolling out. Just my 2 cents, what do you think?

RITBlake
01-22-2006, 00:03
Now that I think of it, most of the sobos we met, esp Team America were easy going. We met so many unhappy and disgruntled nobos. Not sure why. They told us that when we had 600 miles left we would be like that, but it never really happened. I never understood why they would just wake up and walk if they were suffering and not having a good time. It's not a forced march, this isn't the military.

neo
01-22-2006, 00:16
heck you gotta have a sense of humor tourvive this life anyway:cool: neo

Whistler
01-22-2006, 00:22
Anybody know an outfitter that can help me find a good one?
-Mark

RITBlake
01-22-2006, 00:25
Anybody know an outfitter that can help me find a good one?
-Mark

You should probably wait until after this spring. I hear there are some new ultralite models coming out in the Summer. Also Tom Hennesey has a model you can string up between trees :)

smokymtnsteve
01-22-2006, 00:26
Anybody know an outfitter that can help me find a good one?
-Mark


what size??,

the bigger sense of humors are fairly heavy,,

but they do have those small sense of humors for the lightweight gram wennie crowd,:jump

Mouse
01-22-2006, 01:38
HUMOR? HUMOR? Did you say HUMOR? Levity has absolutely no place on the AT. Thruhiking is deadly serious, a matter of the utmost gravity.

Whether falling in the mud, getting attacked by mice, besieged by skunks, hiking in a fancy party dress, wolfing down a half gallon of ice cream, dashing for cover as it rained sideways, having someone appear RIGHT when I thought the coast was clear and I could change out of my wet clothes, watching Miss Janet demonstrate her potato cannon, giving companions "rabbit ears" when they had their pictures taken, having Maine red squirrels bounce pinecones off my head and scold me for intruding....Surely I never cracked so much as a smile. [fingers crossed behind back]

Humor indeed! Hmmph!

[giggle]

wyclif
01-22-2006, 03:41
We certainly weren't happy go lucky all the time, but we never really took ourselves, or our thru hike very seriously. It made it a lot more fun and a lot easier to stay an extra day in town or to spend an extra hour swimming when everyone else was rolling out. Just my 2 cents, what do you think?

I told Don King just today that the first thing I noticed about your journal was that you seemed to have fun no matter what happened (giardia, bad weather, mice attacks, blistered feet, weird hitches).

I personally think a lot of the NOBO negativity you mention comes from them being cooped up with too many people on the Southern part of the trail (particularly SMNP--some never get over that part of the hike it seems).

A SOBO hike is really tempting, despite the later start. I noticed that you guys seemed to have a lot of the hostels and shelters mostly to yourselves :)

minnesotasmith
01-22-2006, 09:05
what size??,

the bigger sense of humors are fairly heavy,,

but they do have those small sense of humors for the lightweight gram wennie crowd,:jump

That's the funniest line I've read on WB in a while.:D :clap

Smile
01-22-2006, 09:28
I have several senses of humore for sale. PM me.

Peaks
01-22-2006, 10:15
Just remember that a crappy day on the trail beats a good day a work every time.

MOWGLI
01-22-2006, 10:23
I think the thing about the NOBO hiker - at least some of them - is that they are physically beaten down when they start encountering the SOBO hikers.

But I agree with Blake 100%. A sense of humor is the best piece of equipment a hiker can take with them.

Just Jeff
01-22-2006, 11:37
I built a homemade sense of humor - just need a TP roll, soda can and some chili powder. Very light and boils water in under two minutes. I'll have plans on the website shortly.

UCONNMike
01-22-2006, 22:39
Today I at work I was thinking about my thru hike (what a suprise) and I was trying to determine what the most invaluable thing was that we carried. I really think it was our sense of humor and our ability to laugh at ourselves that kept us going. No matter how hard a day was or how cold the morning, we always tried to keep a positive attitude and find the bright sides of things.

I couldn't agree with you more, and in fact I have agreed with you in the past when we discussed this very topic.

Marta
01-23-2006, 08:37
I built a homemade sense of humor - just need a TP roll, soda can and some chili powder. Very light and boils water in under two minutes. I'll have plans on the website shortly.


Yep. Funny bone is still in working order!

khaynie
01-23-2006, 11:03
Indeed, a sense of humor got us to GA; however, the ole' Osprey carried it. Screamin' Eagles!

Jack Tarlin
01-23-2006, 20:21
I've said many times that a sense of humor is indispensable on a long hike, tho every year I've managed to encounter a handful of folks who either sail thru life without one, or don't seem to have a very good one.

These folks generally have two things in common:

By the end of the first month, they're hiking alone, or more likely, aren't hiking at all because they're home.

And nobody misses them, either.